Innovation in Traditional Silversmithing Craft: When Science meets Art

Image credits: All Alice Fry

Step into the world of Alice Fry, ARCH’s new special crafts advisor, who is reimagining treasures by fusing traditional silversmithing and science.

Award-winning jeweller and silversmith Alice is redefining the boundaries of traditional metalwork by merging centuries-old techniques with modern science and innovative materials. Her sculptural pieces, inspired by geological wonders, shimmer with an otherworldly quality, transporting viewers to the hidden worlds of minerals and crystals.

A graduate of The Glasgow School of Art with a First in Silversmithing and Jewellery Design, Alice honed her craft at the prestigious Bishopsland Educational Trust. It was there that she received The Jane Goodman Award, granting her the opportunity to study the unique metal niobium with anodising expert Brian Eburah. This deep dive into niobium has become central to her practice, and she is now one of the very few metalworkers in the UK to specialise in this remarkable material.

Alice’s work has gained international recognition, with exhibitions at New York’s "MAD About Jewelry" show, London Craft Week, The Scottish Gallery, and the celebrated Goldsmiths’ Fair in London. From her workshop at The Sculpture Lounge in Holmfirth, Yorkshire—a vibrant, artist-led community nestled in the North of the Peak District—Alice continues to push the boundaries of her craft.

Her fascination with geology, rocks and all things glistening began in childhood, sparked by collecting rocks and visiting the Blue John Stone caves in Derbyshire. At university, Alice sketched and studied the Blue John mineral specimens and visited museums like the Natural History Museum, where she closely studied the intricate shapes and textures of mineral treasures.

Alice’s creative process combines these natural inspirations with the ancient technique of chasing and repoussé. This meticulous method involves hammering steel punches into sheet metal from both sides, shaping it into intricate forms while supported in pitch. The technique, passed down through generations, allows for a vast array of styles and textures using only simple tools. For Alice, this method is like drawing in 3D, bringing rough crystals and sparkling rocks to life in metal.

Forming the sharp angles and flat planes of crystal structures in metal is an exceptionally demanding task. Alice handcrafts her own steel punches to achieve these precise forms, and her signature sparkling diamond texture is made by using diamond burrs as chasing punches, imprinting tiny shards of diamonds onto the metal’s surface.

Alice combines this ancient technique with modern materials and science. One of the standout features of Alice’s work is her use of niobium, a rare and durable metal known for its hypoallergenic properties and lightweight strength—ideal for jewellery. Through anodising, Alice transforms niobium into vivid flashes of colour, from yellows and pinks to blues and purples. This process involves submerging the metal in a bath of bicarbonate of soda dissolved in water and applying an electric current, which creates a niobium oxide layer. Different voltages yield different colours, and by masking areas or using an electrified brush, Alice can achieve striking multicoloured effects.

In today’s fast-paced, mass-produced world, Alice’s dedication to traditional craft is a powerful reminder of the value of slow, skilled making. Her work preserves ancient techniques while proving their relevance in contemporary design, fostering a deeper connection between maker, material, and wearer—an antidote to disposable culture.

Alice has recently been named as The King’s Foundation’s “35 Under 35” list — a network of makers and changemakers, brought together as part of The King’s Foundation’s 35th anniversary celebrations, to advocate for the change His Majesty wants to see in the world. Alice’s work stands at the intersection of art, science, and tradition. By updating historic silversmithing techniques with modern materials and processes, she creates pieces that are as innovative as they are timeless—capturing the mysterious beauty of hidden geological worlds in shimmering metal.

alicefry.com