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| Industry |
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|---|---|
| Founded | 1952 |
| Founder |
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Key people | Simon Benney (CEO) |
| Website | https://www.houseofbenney.com/ |
House of Benney, sometimes known simply as Benney, is a UK-based silversmith and jewellery business, used by various members of the British Royal Family. [1]
Founded in 1952 by the silversmith and goldsmith Gerald Benney, who through the company was one of the first British craftsmen to hold four Royal Warrants simultaneously. [2] During this period Benney became famous for the textured effect which is today called "Benney Bark", which came about by accident when he inadvertently used a hammer with a damaged head and like what was produced. [3] The company also produced a number of commissions such as The Commonwealth Mace, [4] as well as pieces for Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher and George & Barbara Bush, [5] alongside the formal dining set at 10 Downing Street which is still in use today (having been commissioned by The Silver Trust [6] ).
Simon Benney, Gerald's son, took over the business in the 1990s, [7] and he still holds three Royal Warrants [8] as Gold and Silversmiths, namely from HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Prince of Wales. Today, Benney Partnership continues to produce some of the world's finest silver, gold and enamelware. [5]
The company was the subject of a 2016 BBC Four documentary titled "Handmade: By Royal Appointment", a series which followed CEO Simon Benney and three different Royal Warrant holders, [9] namely Wedgwood, John Lobb Shoes and Steinway.
Peter Carl Fabergé, also Karl Gustavovich Fabergé was a Russian jeweller best known for the famous Fabergé eggs made in the style of genuine Easter eggs, but using precious metals and gemstones rather than more mundane materials. He was one of the sons of the founder of the famous jewelry legacy House of Fabergé.
A Fabergé egg is a jewelled egg created by the jewellery firm House of Fabergé, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. As many as 69 were created, of which 57 survive today. Virtually all were manufactured under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé between 1885 and 1917. The most famous are his 52 "Imperial" eggs, 46 of which survive, made for the Russian emperors Alexander III and Nicholas II as Easter gifts for their wives and mothers. Fabergé eggs are worth millions of pounds and have become symbols of opulence.
Georg Arthur Jensen was a Danish silversmith and founder of Georg Jensen A/S.
The Peter the Great egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé in 1903 for the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. Tsar Nicholas presented the Fabergé egg to his wife, the Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna. The egg is currently located at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, in the United States.
The Colonnade egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made by Henrik Wigström under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1910. The Fabergé egg was made for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna to celebrate the birth of their only son, the tsarevich Alexei. As a clock-egg, the Colonnade egg contained no surprise.
A La Vieille Russie is a New York City-based antique store specializing in European and American antique jewelry, Imperial Russian works of art, 18th-century European gold snuff boxes, and objets d’art. Founded in Kiev in 1851, A La Vieille Russie later relocated to Paris around 1920 and to New York thereafter. From 1961 to 2017, the store was located at 781 Fifth Avenue, near the southeast entrance of Central Park.
The Gatchina Palace egg is a jewelled, enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé in 1901, for Nicholas II of Russia. Nicholas II presented it to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, at Easter in 1901. The egg opens to reveal a surprise miniature gold replica of the Gatchina Palace that was built for Count Grigory Orlov and was later acquired by Tsar Paul I. It is one of two Imperial Easter eggs in the collection of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Basket of Flowers egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1901. The Fabergé egg was made for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his wife, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
The Mosaic egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1914. The Fabergé egg was made for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his wife, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna on Easter 1914. Its Easter 1914 counterpart is the Catherine the Great egg.
August Frederik Hollming was a Finnish silver- and goldsmith, and a Fabergé workmaster.
Anders (Antti) Juhaninpoika Nevalainen was a Finnish gold- and silversmith, and a Fabergé workmaster.
Paul Benney is a British artist who rose to international prominence as a contemporary artist whilst living and working in New York in the 1980s and 1990s in the UK as an award-winning portraitist.
Philippe Wolfers was a Belgian silversmith, jeweler, sculptor, medallist and designer. His mature work belongs to the Art Nouveau style, while in his later years his work aligned with Art Deco. As a jewel designer, he was less prolific than his French contemporary René Lalique. Nevertheless his "exemplaire unique" series of jewelry is among the finest jewelry created in Art Nouveau. Wolfers is also known for his sculptures, decorative objects and tableware executed in precious materials such as silver, bronze, ivory and marble. He also designed vases and objects in glass and faience.
Gerald Adrian Sallis Benney CBE was a British silver and goldsmith who along with David Mellor and Robert Welch popularised stainless steel designs in post-war British homes. Like Mellor and Welch he was influenced by modern Scandinavian design and in particular Georg Jensen.
Gilbert Leigh Marks was an English silversmith, who worked in the Arts and Crafts style, during a career of little over ten years.
Thomas Fattorini Ltd is a manufacturing jeweller and designer-maker of awards, trophies, ceremonial swords, civic insignia, medals and name badges. The company is located on three sites in Manchester, Birmingham and London with their head office in Skipton, North Yorkshire.
The Ruby Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 1992 marked the 40th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. Contrary to her Silver Jubilee in 1977, there were no widespread public celebrations of the Ruby Jubilee; it was a low-profile event. However, there were some observances to mark the milestone.
Hamilton & Inches is a luxury jeweller and jewellery designer based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The company has held a royal warrant to the British monarch as goldsmiths, silversmiths, clock & watchmakers for over 120 years. The company's main headquarters are on George Street in New Town, Edinburgh. The company was founded by Sir Robert Inches and his uncle James Hamilton in 1866.
Simon Benney is an English designer and maker of jewellery and objets d'art. The holder of two Royal Warrants, for HM The Queen and HRH The Prince of Wales, he has personally undertaken commissions for the British Royal Family, including "a fair amount of the more recent Windsor family silverware". He has been described by The Guardian as "one of the country's leading silversmiths".