Feather

This brooch is silver gilt by Gerald Benney, one of the most influential British silversmiths during the second half of the 20^th century.   The feather brooch has been hand-embossed with a technique known as ‘Benney Bark’, whereby the surface has been gently hammered with a silversmithing hammer which has been chiselled to create ridges and troughs, the result is a series of small irregular indentation made across the surface.  Traditionally silversmith hammers have a smooth head.

Gerald Benney was born in Yorkshire in 1930, his mother was a silversmith and his father was a teacher.  In 1950 Gerald attended the Royal College of Art in London.   It was during the 1960s that Gerald accidently hit a piece of silver with a damaged hammer head creating a mark.  He liked the effect and repeated the action over and over, the result has become what is now known as ‘Benney Bark’.  This roughed effect became Gerald Benney’s trademark and can be found on many of Gerald Benney’s pieces.  Its success was not only for its new contemporary look but also for the practical reasons that it almost eliminated tarnish and fingerprints.
In the late 1960s Gerald went to Switzerland to study with the renowned Norwegian enameller Berger Bergensen.  Bergensen had worked form Karl Faberge’s rival Bolin.  Bergensen was persuaded to come to the UK and teach enamelling to Gerald and his team of craftsmen. 

In the 1970s Gerald Benney held four royal warrants.  The first in 1974 from the late Queen Elizabeth II, followed a year later by those of The Queen Mother and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh and in 1980 he received an  unprecedented fourth from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.  To this day the House of Benney still holds the royal warrant for His Majesty King Charles III.

There is no doubt that Gerald Benney was one of the most influential and creative goldsmiths and silversmiths of his generation producing items not only for the British royal family but also pieces for Margaret Thatcher, George & Barbara Bush, 10 Downing Street and in 1992 the Commonwealth mace which has each of the commonwealth flags enamelled along its length and was presented to Queen Elizabeth.

In 1998 Gerald Benney retired and his son Simon took up the reins opening the House of Benney. Gerald died in 2008 but the House of Benney continues to produce beautifully created items of silverware and jewellery.