Silver of the Stars is a contemporary collection of silver created in 2007 by ten of Scotland’s finest silversmiths in partnership with ten Scottish celebrities. Each silversmith and celebrity pair designed and made a drinking vessel inspired by the universal theme: ‘a drink with a close friend’. Each celebrity then wrote a story of who they would have their drink with, where they would be and what they would talk about.
The resulting collection has been exhibited around the world since 2007 in a series of touring exhibitions at venues from The Hermitage State Museum in St Petersburg, Russia, to the Forbes Museum in New York City, USA, to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
Silver of the Stars is infused with creativity—from the artisan silversmiths to some of Scotland’s most celebrated and creative minds—Sir Billy Connolly, Ian Rankin and Ewan McGregor. The collection was made to inspire and provoke thought, creativity and talent of the sort demonstrated in various fields by the celebrities and the silversmiths.
Silver of the Stars is a registered Scottish charity established by The Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh.
Introduction by Michael Laing, former Chairman of Silver of the Stars
“As I was walking my dogs in the Pentland Hills above Edinburgh, I asked myself how silversmithing, a tradition reaching back hundreds of years in Scotland, could be made more relevant and interesting in the modern world. Scotland has always been a leader in innovative design, producing life-changing inventions from the telephone to television to Dolly the Sheep, the world’s first cloned mammal. It occurred to me that we now needed to adapt the best of our exquisite design and craft traditions to suit today’s nano-second world, in which much of our lives are defined and influenced by image, excitement and entertainment.
So was born Silver of the Stars, in which ten international celebrities in the fields of film, fashion, music, theatre and literature, have been paired with ten of Scotland’s finest silversmiths. Each pair has collaborated on the design for a piece of silver on that most beautiful moment, “a drink with a close friend”, resulting in a hugely varied collection of drinking vessels that ranges from absinthe goblets to teapots to claret jugs. Silver of the Stars is a registered charity that will benefit ten charities nominated by each of the celebrities.”
Michael Laing OBE DL
Past Exhibitions
Over three-quarters of a million visitors have seen the Silver of the Stars collection.
Since 2007, Silver of the Stars has travelled over 30,000 miles around the world, showing at world class venues in the UK, USA, Canada, Russia, China and Japan.
World Tour 2007-2008:
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Victoria and Albert Museum | London, UK | January-March 2007 | Whiteley Silver Galleries
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The Forbes Galleries | New York, USA | March – June 2007 | The Carrère Gallery in the Forbes Galleries, 60 Fifth Avenue (at 12th Street)
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The State Hermitage Museum | St Petersburg, Russia | July – August 2007
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The World Art Museum | Beijing, China | September 2007
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The Museum of Kyoto | Kyoto, Japan | October 2007
UK Venues 2008:
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The National Museum of Scotland | Edinburgh, UK | January-April 2008
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Aberdeen Art Gallery | Aberdeen, UK | May-September 2008
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The Harley Gallery | Wellbeck, Nottinghamshire, UK | November-December 2008
North American Tour 2009-2010:
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The Gregg Museum of Art and Design | North Carolina, USA | April-July 2009
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The San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design | California, USA | July-October 2009
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The Royal British Columbia Museum | Victoria, Canada | October 2009-January 2010
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The Nickle Arts Museum | Calgary, Canada | February- May 2010
UK Venues 2010:
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STV The Hour
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Homes and Interiors Scotland Exhibition 2010 | SECC Glasgow | August 2010
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The Dick Institute | Kilmarnock | September-December 2010
European Tour 2012-13:
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Centre d’Artesania Catalunya | Barcelona, Spain || November 2012-January 2013
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Koldinghus Museum | Kolding, Denmark | August-October 2012
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Krzysztofory Palace |Historical Museum of the City of Krakow, Poland | May-July 2012
Scottish Tour 2013-15:
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Museum of Edinburgh | Edinburgh | April-September 2013
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Iona Gallery | Kingussie | October-November 2013
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St Fergus Gallery | Wick | November 2013-January 2014
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Inverness Museum & Art Gallery | Inverness | January-March 2014
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The Barony Centre | Crafttown Scotland | December 2014-February 2015
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Elements: A Festival of Jewellery, Silver and Gold | Edinburgh | September 2015
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The Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum | Stirling | October-December 2015
UK 2017:
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The Goldsmiths Centre | London, UK | May 2017
UK 2020:
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On display at Bute House, official residence of the First Minister of Scotland | Edinburgh, UK
Nicola Benedetti CBE & Roger Millar
HOT CHOCOLATE POT & MUGS
A DRINK WITH NELSON MANDELA
‘The atmosphere is powerful, the air is clear, and the silence is absolute. Nicola Benedetti and Nelson Mandela are huddled on the peak of Cairn Gorm. Their hands are wrapped tightly round the genter curvers of their silver mugs as they heat themselves up with a warm pot of dark, gloopy hot chocolate. Nicola doesn’t drink hot chocolate too often, in case she begins to take its chocolate flavours in liquid form for granted. She saves this comforting indulgence for cold weather or good company. Now she is enjoying both at once, although she and Nelson are both savouring the silence that has not yet been broken. Good company does not always necessitate words.
When she is performing or touring, however, Nicola is alone most of the time, so she is glad now of the opportunity to speak to this amazing man. When they have taken the edge off their cold they begin to talk, and the warmth of the conversation between the young musician and the elderly statesman has almost as much effect as the hot chocolate. They talk about art – Nicola’s favourite piece of Scottish art is a painting by E.A. Hornel of five girls playing in a wood, that she has loved since she was young. She would imagine herself included in the mischief and fun of the girls in the painting. They discuss music, and Nicola’s admiration for the composer James McMillan. They consider what it is about their own countries that most inspires them. Nicola finds the view from her own home overlooking the Isle of Arran, Kyles of Bute and Mull of Kintyre along the West Coast of Scotland hugely inspiring. This coastline, with its truly exotic sunsets, never fails to impress her when she returns home. Beside the visual impact of this landscape, she finds the air and atmosphere there second to none.
The conversation turns to lighter subjects. Nicola confides that despite having tried to like tomato juice many times, she has finally succeeded in officially disliking it forever. Nicola’s most memorable drink to date was a hot chocolate served in a cafe bar on a ski slope in the Dolomites of Northern Italy. Topped with cream and piping hot, it was a memorable sensation of such contrast and satisfaction. As she blows on her drink to cool it down and smiles at Nelson Mandela, she knows that her memorable drink has just been outclassed.’
In his design for Nicola’s hot chocolate pot, Roger Millar was asked to include a subtle reference to music. He got so immersed in the design process that he produced five different designs for her to select. The final result was a beautiful pot and a pair of mugs, made by seaming the metal and spinning it. The insulating bars between the body and handle of the pot and mugs make this piece as practical as it is stunning, thanks to the flair of the design, and Nicola’s exuberant signature.
Born in Scotland in 1987, Nicola is a world-renowned classical violinist. She began violin lessons at the age of 5, and in 2004, won the prestigious title of ‘BBC Young Musician of the Year’. Since then she has played with numerous orchestras around the world and won numerous awards. In 2022, she was made Festival Director of the Edinburgh International Festival, the first woman to hold the title. Nicola’s chosen charity for SOTS was The Ayrshire Hospice.
Robbie Coltrane OBE & Grant McCaig
WHISKEY SET
A DRINK WITH REMBRANDT
‘Robbie Coltrane and Rembrandt are on the Grand Canal in Venice. They are sharing a dram and talking (Robbie has miraculously learnt fluent Dutch for this meeting!) over the noise of a vaparetto Riva with a V-8 engine that is burbling in the background. Robbie would have liked to chat about the Great Eastern to Isambard Kingdom Brunel, but he was too busy designing some bridge or other to sit still for long enough.
Robbie’s favourite drink is whisky, Scotland’s National Drink. It always makes him proud, when in some far-flung place in the world, scanning the shelves in a bar or hotel, eyes dazzled by endless green, blue or even yellow concoctions (some with little trees apparently growing inside them), to find a group of gems from Islay, Deeside or Speyside, and to know that the quality will be consistently excellent. Anis, on the other hand, is something Robbie would never drink. He drank a lot of it one night when he was young, and the smell of it always makes him feel queasy.
Robbie’s most memorable drink to date was consumed when he was filming Huckleberry Finn and spent a terrific evening with Jason Robards. They sipped whisky and watched the Mississippi flow by as he told great tales of his life in the movies, and so much more. Robbie found him to be such an interesting guy, with a wry sense of humour: both a survivor and a great talent.
Robbie has also known and worked with a lot of very talented Scots: John Byrne, Peter McDougall, Sandy Stoddart, Muriel Gray and Tilda Swinton to name but a few. He believes we also owe a lot to Bridget McConnell and others, who believe the quality of everyone’s life is enriched by the arts. Almost any art by Henry Raeburn or John Byrne gives Robbie pleasure or engages him at some level.
When it comes to Scotland, Robbie is inspired by the constantly changing weather, which throws the landscape into a different light, quite literally, from one moment to another. It always makes him glad to be home.
It is an old Scottish toast that Robbie and Rembrandt celebrate their conversation in Venice as the vaparetto slips under a bridge: ‘Here’s tae us whae’s like us, damn few, and they’re maistly deid!’.
Grant McCaig created mood boards featuring references to Cadillacs and jazz to inspire him for his design for Robbie’s whiskey set. He has encapsulated a 1950’s feel in the forms and details. The gusto with which Grant approached the design was carried through to the making of the piece, which includes a silver tray that is highly polished and creates wonderful reflections. Grant continues to make as a Jeweller and Silversmith and lecture at universities in the UK, including Edinburgh College of Art and the University for the Creative Arts.
Born in Rutherglen, Robbie Coltrane was an actor, known for his role as Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter Films. Coltrane studied painting at The Glasgow School of Art and enjoyed a long career in film and television. He died in 2022. Robbie’s chosen charity for SOTS was Sense Scotland.
Sir Billy Connelly CBE & Cóilín Ó Dubhghaill
TRICYCLE TEAPOT, SUGAR BOWL & BANJO SPOON
A DRINK WITH GOD
‘Billy drinks several cups of tea every day and enjoys them immensely, despite tea being only his second favourite beverage – his first choice would be alcohol, which unfortunately he’s no longer allowed, as he drank his share all at once, not knowing it was supposed to last him a lifetime.
Billy would like to invite God round for tea as there are several issues that he feels should be brought to his attention, not least being the poor refereeing at Celtic games, but he guesses he’s busy in the Middle East right now and so alternatively he’d love to spend time with Nelson Mandela or Keith Richards.
Billy has always felt it beneficial to have a code to live by to assist in avoiding life’s more treacherous pitfalls. His has always been to never trust a man, who, when he’s alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn’t try it on.’
Cóilín closely based his design on Billy’s own drawing of a teapot in the shape of the Harley motorcycle on which he traveled for his World Tour. Cóilín then added his own design for a matching sugar bowl with a banjo-shaped spoon tucked neatly onto the back. Cóilín worked in Glasgow and Sheffield as both a silversmith and researcher, and now is a Lecturer at the National College of Art & Design in Ireland.
Billy Connolly is a world-renowned comedian, actor, artist, musician and television presenter. He has chosen to support Jubilee Action, which today operates as Chance for Children.
Sir Sean Connery & Michael Lloyd
QUAICH
A DRINK WITH ATAÜRK
‘We are in Ankara, Turkey, and Sir Sean Connery and Atatürk, founder and first president of the Turkish Republic, are sharing one of Scotland’s finest malt whiskies from a glorious silver quaich. The quaich is gilded on the interior to reflect its liquid amber contents, and the body is embossed with apple-tree branches and fruit.
The apple, present in our collective subconscious as the fruit of knowledge, symbolises the hunger for learning that has long been a mainstay of Scottish culture and that is of such importance to Sir Sean himself. Perhaps the importance of a comprehensive and enlightened education is one of Sir Sean and Atatürk’s subjects of conversation; or, perhaps, moved by the ageless beauty of the quaich that they pass between them, they talk about the devotion that each of them has for his own country. Sir Sean admires Atatürk’s self-discipline in bringing his country together but not being tempted to follow a policy of expansion.
When it comes to Scotland, he finds that her elemental beauty is encapsulated by the view from the air over the Firth of Forth, whereas her most outstanding work of art is Edinburgh Castle itself. Edinburgh is a frequent motif in Sir Sean’s conversation, and it is crime writer Iain Rankin, whose Rebus novels examine the lesser know and darker aspects of Edinburgh life, whom he beleives to be Scotland’s major creative force. Sir Sean has had many memorable drinks in his time, not least after the opening of the Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood. Now, as the two legendary figures talk on late into the night, another tremendous moment is being formed, and Sir Sean is determined to make it last. ‘I’ll have another one,’ he says.’
Sir Sean asked to be paired with Michael Lloyd, having seen the silver water jugs he created for The Millennium Collection at Bute House. Michale’s work pays homage to the landscapes and weapons of peace. In order to reflect his and the choice of Sir Sean’s charity, The Scottish International Education Trust, he has chosen to decorate this beautifully chased quaich with an apple motif, representing at once the natural world and the fruit of knowledge, itself a weapon of peace. Based in the Southwest of Scotland, Michael continues to create masterful chased silver and gold vessels. His most recent commissions include the Cross of Wales, used to lead the procession of the coronation of King Charles III.
Sir Sean Connery was an Oscar-winning actor, producer and Scottish icon, who appeared in over 65 films. This includes his best-known appearance in the Bond films. He died in 2020. Sir Sean’s chosen charity was The Scottish International Education Trust.
Lulu CBE & Linda Robertson
TEAPOT
A DRINK WITH CATHERINE TATE
‘Lulu is taking tea with the witty and amusing Catherine Tate. Lulu is crazy about her and every one of her characters, and is sure that she would amuse and delight her for the whole afternoon while she gorges herself on sandwiches.
Lulu chose tea as her favourite drink as she thinks of it as a very Scottish thing. It takes her back to her childhood when she would often be making a pot of tea. The first pot of tea would be made at breakfast for her mother, accompanied by toast, butter and jam. The tea was always made in a teapot and served in teacups, none of this mug business. In the afternoon they would sometimes have sandwiches and always chocolate biscuits. At least once a week, Lulu’s mother would treat them to cream cakes.
Today, Lulu doesn’t drink tea so often, and when she does it’s more than likely to be herbal. There is nothing, however, that is more civilised than tea in the afternoon, whether it be with friends at home, at The Dorchester, The Ritz, or Claridges. “As you can see”, she tells Catherine now, “I’ve become rather la de da“.
Lulu fell in love with India and her most memorable drink is drinking chai there. The Japanese tea ceremony has always enchanted Lulu. The movement needed to pour from the handle-less gold and silver teapot that Lulu and Catherine now use evokes this custom. The teapot has been innovatively conceived and crafted by one of Scotland’s leading artist-silversmiths. Lulu considers another major creative force in Scotland today to be J.K. Rowling, who has caught the imagination of the whole world by creating the Harry Potter stories.’
Linda originally comes from the Isle of Bute, a small island on the west coast, where she lived for 25 years. She is now a contemporary silversmith living and working in London. Working mainly in sheet metal, using restrained geometric forms Linda is continually inspired by the architecual landscape.
Linda created an inventive handle-less teapot for Lulu. The pot is cupped in both hands to be poured, a ceremonial gesture reminiscent of Japanese tea rituals and also a sign of friendship when proffering the tea to a companion. To keep the tea hot and the hands cool, Linda worked hard with an engineer to perfect the thermal insulation, a difficult technique that has rendered wonderful results.
Lulu has been a chart-topping singer since 1964, with a series of worldwide hits. As well as having a string of single hits, she has worked with Elton John, David Bowie, Tina Turner, Take That, Paul McCartney, the Beach Boys and soul legend Bobby Womack. Lulu’s chosen charity was PRASAD.
Sir Cameron Mackintosh & Sarah Cave
CLARET JUG & BEAKERS
A DRINK WITH SIR NOËL COWARD
Sir Noël Coward and Sir Cameron Mackintosh are relaxing on the terrace of Sir Noël’s Jamaican home, ‘Blue Harbour’, where their vision is suffused by the colour blue in all its subtleness and glory, from the deep, rippling blue of the ocean to the stormy grey-blue of the hills opposite and the soft and comfortable blue of the sky.
The view is fantastic, although Cameron is really at home in Scotland, where he finds the timeless beauty and inspiration of the country’s landscape the most precious element. He comments that it’s not always painless getting there. He remembers running out of water on the night sleeper and having to make do with just drinking a 1970 Speyside, even when it came to brushing his teeth!
This evening though, they are looking forward to enjoying a glass of good claret – Sir Noël had suggested Blue Nun to complement the view but Sir Cameron said he drew the line at drinking that – and they are having the most enormous fun.
The two men are discussing the theatre. Sir Cameron believes he can learn a lot from Sir Noël’s experience of the theatre, just as he passes on his own experience from life in the West End. For him, The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama is a major creative force in Scotland, as it is discovering and training the lead artists of tomorrow. Although Cameron’s namesake, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, has created many unique masterpieces (and where would the Scottish soul be without Robbie Burns?), his nominations for Scotland’s most outstanding piece of art is the view of the Cuillin Hills on Skye that he gazes at from his home in Loch Nevis (Gaelic for Loch of Heaven!).
‘Slàinte!’ the friends each cup a tasting beaker in his hand, its size and shape perfect for absent-mindedly swilling around the crimson liquid as the conversation develops. The surfaces of the vessels are covered with hundreds upon hundreds of tiny hammer marks, creating thousands of reflections and accentuating the glorious blue that surrounds them.
After graduating from Edinburgh College of Art in 1995, Sarah Cave gained a wealth of experience working at Hamilton and Inches in Edinburgh for 14 years. Sarah has now set up her own workshop where she designs and makes both silverware and jewellery.
Sir Cameron is a musical theater producer, whose worldwide productions include Cats, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, and acclaimed revivals of My Fair Lady, Oliver! and Oaklahoma!. Sir Cameron’s chosen charity was The Scottish Wildlife Trust.
Ewan McGregor OBE & Marion Kane
COFFEE POT, MUG & CREAM JUG
A DRINK AROUND THE WORLD
Ewan is drinking from an enormous coffee pot, hammered to a leather-like finish, that is reminiscent of a Victorian Highland picnic set. The motorbike handles that feature on both the mug and the coffee pot remind Ewan of the incredible journey he made around the world on his BMW. He enjoyed the most memorable drink of his life on that trip, where he was given the strongest cup of coffee he has ever drunk at the Ukranian border, having spent fourteen hours trying to get into the country.
Marion Kane is an award winning Scottish silversmith based in West Kilbride, Ayrshire. She has been creating silver art works and utensils for over a decade. Marion prides herself in making pieces that can be used in everyday life drawing ideas from textures and patterns seen in everyday life: the winter branches of coastal trees, ever changing markings in the sand, fabrics and industrial structures.
Marion departed from her usual feminine style of silversmithing, with its natural, flowing lines, to create this chunky and quintessentially masculine coffee set for Ewan McGregor. She raised the main body and lid of each piece, used fabrication and riveting for the handles, and she turned the acrylic stoppers. Marion sourced reclaimed motorbike handles for the handles of the jug and mug. On the jug she laser engraved the names of the countries that Ewan and Charley Boorman visited on their “Long Way Round” motorbike trip. The registration plates of their bikes are inscribed on the mug.
Ewan McGregor is an actor and producer who has starred in a wealth of films and televisions series, including Trainspotting, Star Wars, Moulin Rouge and Fargo. Ewan’s chosen charity was CHAS.
Alexander McQueen CBE & Graham Stewart
ABSINTHE GOBLET & SPOON
A DRINK WITH CATE BLANCHETT
Alexander McQueen is drinking absinthe with Cate Blanchett in his bedroom. They are drinking from an enormous silver cup designed by Alexander himself, reminiscent of a medieval feasting goblet. Perhaps the goblet’s two opposing faces represent the changes of humour to which one is susceptible when drinking absinthe, or perhaps they represent theatrical masks or the world of Punch and Judy. Whatever the meaning behind these two faces, the goblet is a powerful and emotive object.
Alexander carefully follows the ritual specific to the drinking of absinthe. The rare glasses made solely for the drink characteristically have a reservoir blown into the base as an accurate measure for the absinthe, as can be seen on the stem of this goblet. He places the pierced spoon over the goblet and tops it with a sugar cube, through which he carefully pours the absinthe. In Bohemian ritual, the sugar can be set alight to caramelise it, but the combination of the potent drink, the powerful goblet and the spark of conversation between Cate and Alexander provide more than enough fire for the occasion.
Graham Stewart was a designer, gold and silversmith based in Dunblane. From 1978, he created innovative, clean-lined sculptural pieces of silver, from high-profile commemorative presentation pieces to fine-quality functional silver. Graham passed away in 2020. A lifetime supporter of craft in Scotland, Graham bequeathed the entire contents of his studio to The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust. Graham’s legacy now lives on in the Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop, a purpose-built workshop to support early career Silversmiths.
Alexander McQueen was an international fashion designer, named British Fashion Designer of the Year four times, and awarded International Designer of the Year in 2003. Sadly, he died in 2010, but his company continues to produce collections known for their emotional power and raw energy. Alexander’s chosen charity was Survival International.
Sir Ian Rankin & John Creed
IRN BRU JUG, GOBLETS & TRAY
A DRINK WITH FAMILY
Ian Rankin is eating a fish supper from the paper (it saves on washing-up) on his knees in the living room. The family meal is accompanied by Irn Bru, a drink that has been with Ian throughout his life. As a kid, he would mix some vanilla ice cream into it on a hot summer’s day. It was also perfect on a winter’s night as an accompaniment to fish and chips on the way home from the cinema. As an adult, he has found it to be an excellent restorative on many a ‘morning after the night before’.
Now, he is pouring himself and his family Scotland’s ‘other national drink’ from a proud silver jug into a tumbler with a warm gold interior that seems to reflect the bright orange drink to infinity. The jug and the tumblers stand on a sturdy latticed tray, reminiscent of Scotland’s heavy engineering past and the girders of the Forth Bridge.
The drinking vessel has been crafted by one of Scotland’s leading artists, and Ian believes that this is characteristic of Scotland right now, blessed as she is with an incredible variety of world-class creative people: writers, artists, designers, actors, musicians. Like many people, Ian is a big fan of Raeburn’s ‘Reverend Robert Walker Skating’. It makes him smile, and shows that event the most upright and serious Scot always has a playful side to them. When it comes to literature, Ian’s favourite quote to do with drink, albeit not very flattering to men or women, is from Martin Amis’ novel, ‘Money’: ‘Without women, life is a pub’. He thinks, however, that the Scottish character is above all shaped by landscape: jagged peaks, rugged coastline, douce country towns and vibrant cities. It is an awesome country and he finds himself privileged to call it his home.
Ian drinks Irn Bru two or three times a week, and he believes that you can tell a lot about a person by their favourite tipple. Inspector Rebus, for example, drinks pints, and would be wary of anyone who preferred bottled beer. There’s not much that Ian would never drink, though the warm bottles of screwtop Lambrusco which seemed so decadent to him as a teenager at parties are now, hopefully, a thing of the past. Now, sitting with his family, a chippy on his lap and a tumbler of Irn Bru in his hand, he is truly happy.
John has always had an interest in metal that relates to architecture. He has made many large spectacular sculptures in various metals while also working in silver on a smaller scale. Above all, he loves to combine the different metals in one piece. He was therefore the obvious choice to be paired with Ian Rankin, who wanted a piece that spoke about Scotland’s industrial past. The famous Forth Bridge was the inspiration for the tray. As the bridge physically connects Edinburgh and Fife, so the tray symbolically connects the two for Ian. The airtight stopper on the jug ensures the Irn Bru stays bubbly.
Sir Ian is the author of many novels, include the Inspector Rebus Series, set in Edinburgh, which have been number one best sellers in the UK and abroad. The first Rebus novel appeared in 1987. The series has now been translated into twenty-six languages and multiple television series.
Sharleen Spiteri & Sarah Hutchison
TEAPOT & CUPS
A DRINK WITH MARVIN GAYE
Tea is Sharleen’s fave rave. She drinks it all day and every day, and she drinks it in style. A silver and gilt fringed teapot with a satisfyingly chunky handle, its body studded with diamonds, makes her tea party in her back garden with Marvin Gaye a slick and sparkling occasion.
Silver is one of the world’s most precious elements but for Sharleen, Scotland’s red sandstone is the most inspirational natural element. This is clearly linked to her admiration for what she considers to be Scotland’s finest work of art: Glasgow School of Art. The building. designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1896, uses sandstone as one of its chief materials.
Sharleen and Marvin are talking and laughing, and the dynamism of the moment is reflected in the constantly moving play of light from the warm gold, the smooth silver and the sparkle of the diamonds. Each teacup holds only a few sips – this is a fabulous teapot that calls out to be used and moved as often as possible – so the cups are constantly being refilled. Marvin cracks one of his showstopping smiles as he knocks back his n’th cuppa, “Bottoms up, Sharleen”.
Born in 1982, Edinburgh-based Sarah’s individual ‘fringing’ technique was developed for her jewellery and small bowl forms. Being invited to make a teapot for Sharleen gave Sarah the opportunity to utilise this in a larger piece. Sarah research the construction of a non-drip spout – famously one of the great Silversmithing challenges. Still based in Edinburgh, Sarah now operates the SH Jewellery gallery in Morningside.
Sharleen Spiteri is the lead singer, guitarist and keyboard player for the band, Texas. Texas formed in Glasbow in 1986 and represents music with a strong sense of melody and passion. Albums include Red Book, Ricks Road, Southside, Mothers Heaven and Hush. Sharleen’s chosen charity was CHAS (Children’s Hospices Across Scotland).