Items

• Interview with Edgar Stengel

  In a wide-ranging interview conducted at his home in the German city of Wuppertal on 20 July 2020, Edgar Stengel recalls the lead up to the 1953 competition in Madrid and the event itself. Born in 1936 in Wuppertal, Stengel’s father was also a tool maker which is why he decided to go into the trade. Stengel recalls that he was in the second year of his apprenticeship when he received a call in his workshop by the company that was training him and asked if he would like to travel to Spain. He, like the other German participants, did not undertake any qualifying competitions to take part in the contest. They did however take a crash course in Spanish. Stengel won a second place trophy in the Tool Making category; his Spanish rival came first. Stengel speaks about wider events at the time, recalling that Wuppertal was considerably damaged by the Allies during the Second World War and that in the 1950s West German industry realized the urgent need for skilled labour in order to be prepared for the future. Stengel himself would go on to become an engineer and credits his vocational training as providing a solid foundation.
• Interview with Lluís Graus

  Born in 1941. Cabinetmaking Champion at the International VET Competition, Barcelona, 1960. Interview about his experience as competitor Recorded in Salesianos Sarriá VET School, Barcelona, where he was student at the time.
• Interview with Joan Canadell

  Born in 1937. Cabinetmaking Champion at the Spanish National VET Competition, Madrid, 1954. Spanish Cabinetmaking Competitor at the International VET Competition, Madrid, 1955. Recorded in Salesianos Sarriá VET School, Barcelona, where he was student at the time.
• Interview with Peter Johns

  Peter Johns was selected as the UK competitor for Silversmithing in the 1965 Glasgow Competition and won the gold medal. In this interview, recorded at his home in England in November 2019 he recalls his early apprenticeship and training in London, his experiences of the 1965 event and his subsequent career to date. A second part of the interview relates to his involvement in the creation of Argentium, a unique type of silver that does not tarnish, and the challenges of bringing it to market.
• Interview with Robin Kyte

  A wide-ranging oral history interview filmed at the Goldsmiths' Company, London, with Robin Kyte, British jewellery maker, Champion (1971 competition, silver, jewellery-making) former training manager, expert, and freeman at GoldSmiths. Kyte discusses how he got into jewellery making at the age of 16 in late 1960s with the assistance of Reginald Hill, reflects on competing at the 1971 Spanish competition, gives impressions of international competitions over the last 25 years, where he was involved in five international competitions variously as training manager, workshop supervisor, expert and chief expert. He gives an historical perspective of the 700-year-old apprenticeship system at Goldsmiths, explains the growing complexity of the marking schemes and how he designed the UK enamel badge.
• Interview with Steve Jinks

  Steven Jinks is the UK Expert for Jewellery for the national and international competitions. He is a diamond-mounter and works in central London. He is self employed having worked in the trade for 23 years. Jinks is a Freeman of the Goldsmiths' Company. In this wide-ranging interview held on 14 August 2019 in London he discusses how to train young apprentices for competitions, compares the UK system to other countries, how training for the competitions are relevant to industry, the merits of CAD in jewellery, the impact of globalization, and introducing a creative element for the first time at WSC 2019 Kazan. He has served as Expert in Jewellery in 2019, 2017, 2015 and 2013.
• Interview with Doug Hill

  Interviewed at his home in England at the age of 83 Douglas Hill recounts fondly his memories of the 1953 competition in Madrid