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© Julia Skupny
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Benjamin James Ryan

  • Silversmith
  • London, United Kingdom
  • Rising Star
Benjamin James Ryan Silversmith
© Julia Skupny

Silverware with a twist

  • • Benjamin perfected his skills with master silversmith Dr Stuart Devlin
  • • In 2010 he won the Young Designer Silversmith Award
  • • He made a public art piece for Shakespeare’s house in Stratford-Upon-Avon

Part of a new class of silversmiths, Benjamin James Ryan enjoys combining traditional techniques such as polishing, hand raising and engraving with cutting-edge technologies like computer aided design, 3D printing, water jet cutting and CNC milling. Obsessed with building things out of Lego as a child “but only with certain colours”, he applied to do automotive design at university, but eventually opted for a degree in metalwork design and jewellery instead. “I realised I wasn’t going to have free rein on an exterior or even an interior of a car,” he says. “Whereas working on a product the size and scale of silver or jewellery offered me the opportunity to experience all elements of the process, from meeting the client to creating my own design through figuring out how I’m going to make it.”

Read the full interview

Works

  • ©BJRdesigns
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  • © All rights reserved
  • © BJRdesigns
Photo: ©BJRdesigns
Luxus salt and pepper grinders

These sterling silver, partly gilded grinders weigh approximately 1.25 kg each, and are made using a mixture of traditional silversmithing techniques, as well as CNC milling and rapid prototyping. They are fitted with adjustable ceramic grinding mechanisms which control the dispensed granule sizes. The inspiration for their intricate mesh work stems from the petal formation of the Lotus flower.

Length 10.5 cm
Width 10.5 cm
Height 10.5 cm

Photo: © All rights reserved
Mytilidae dish

The Mytilidae dish is a sterling silver hand raised dish with a gilded interior. Designed as a large table centrepiece to hold and serve freshwater mussels, the piece was commissioned by the Worshipful Company Of Goldsmiths as the winning entry for their Young Designer Silversmith Award 2010. The form echoes the shape of freshwater mussel shells and the shallow rock pools in which they can be found.

Length 80 cm
Width 45 cm
Height 10 cm

Photo: © All rights reserved
Unitatis – Ferro decanter

Designed to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh’s 70th wedding anniversary, the piece aims to subtly hint at the love, support and encouragement they have given to one another over the years, and also the support they have given to crafts. This contemporary port decanter is a functional piece, using novel materials and manufacturing techniques.

Length 38.5 cm
Width 38.5 cm
Height 40 cm

Photo: © All rights reserved
Milk and cream jugs, small and large

These electro-formed fine silver milk and cream jugs pay homage to the iconic one and two pint plastic milk containers in everyday use in the UK. The form of the jugs exactly reflects the plastic containers, however a design twist enables them to take on a whole new aesthetic despite nothing actually changing with their form or function.

Length 14 cm
Width 7.5 cm
Height 7.5 cm
Length 8 cm
Width 7.5 cm
Height 7.5 cm

Photo: © BJRdesigns
Template pillar candle holders

The Template candle holders are constructed out of sheet silver held together using precision cut solid silver rods. The construction and assembly of each piece is engineered to be held together using just eight small stainless steel screws. Designed for Bolsius non-drip candles, the holders create myriad reflections while the candles are burning.

Length 10 cm
Width 10 cm
Height 15.5 cm

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