After meeting at art school, friends Jonathan Swan and Simon Beer opened The Workshop in 1981 in a Saxon-era building in the historic town of Lewes, East Sussex. Originally focused on both jewellery and silversmithing, when Jonathan took over in 1993, he shifted the gallery’s emphasis to jewellery alone. Having always encouraged an ethos of inclusivity, the gallery finds itself at the centre of a local freewheeling arts community. Each year, the gallery makes a point of showcasing recent jewellery graduates and, over the years, has featured works by the likes of Daphne Krinos, Nuala Jamieson, Jane Adam, Jean Scott-Moncrieff, Malcolm Appleby Poppy Dandiya, Jinks Mcgrath and many others.