ROD KELLY: a unique 18 carat gold beaker

London 2006

Footnotes

Although he had made several pieces in gold, this was Rod Kelly's first commissioned beaker to be made in 18 carat gold.
Rod Kelly, a highly regarded master silversmith and goldsmith, is one of the country's leading chasers. This beaker shows his distinctive technique of low relief chasing.

ROD KELLY MA (RCA)

Rod Kelly was born in Reading, Berkshire in 1956. In 1975 he went on a foundation course in art at Lancashire Polytechnic. He then trained at Birmingham School of Silversmithing and Jewellery and at the Royal College of Arts under Professor Gerald Benney, graduating in 1983.

After graduating, Kelly first worked from a studio in London, then he went on and set up his workshop in Norfolk. Working almost exclusively to commission, his work can be found in many public and private collections including The Victoria and Albert Museum, No. 10 Downing Street, members of the Royal Family, The Royal Mint, De Beers, St Paul's Cathedral, The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, The Worshipful Company of Clothworkers, Eton College Chapel, New College Oxford, The Ashmolean Museum Oxford and the Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge.
Now based in rural Shetland, Rod Kelly specialises in making one off commissions in silver and gold.
A passionate educator, he has trained many talented silversmiths and students at Bishoplands Educational Trust and now runs his own Charitable Trust, which helps train young silversmiths.

In 1999, Kelly was commissioned by The Royal Mint to design a first class stamp to celebrate the Millennium. He was the designer for the obverse of the £2 coin, commemorating the 200th anniversary of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's birth. One of his latest commissions has been the design of the 2008 £5 crown to celebrate the 450th Anniversary of the Accession of Queen Elizabeth I.
www.rodkellysilver.co.uk