A glittering announcement for the official jewellers … · A glittering announcement for the...

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NEWS RELEASE A glittering announcement for the official jewellers of Scottish gold Leading independent jewellers Hamilton & Inches and Sheila Fleet to be authorised retailers of Scottish gold. The most significant announcement for the Scottish jewellery industry in generations has been made today (30th June, 2017), as the retailers of the first refined batch of Scottish Gold for jewellery were revealed as Scotland’s luxury jewellery house Hamilton & Inches and award- winning Orkney jewellery designer Sheila Fleet OBE. The Scottish Gold, from Cononish gold and silver mine near Tyndrum, will now be developed by the individual jewellers into their uniquely designed collections. Once Scottish Gold from Scotgold Resources has been delivered to each jeweller, Hamilton & Inches and Sheila Fleet will make individual announcements of their plans for the design and retail of this most exclusive of precious metals from Scotland. The provenance of the gold for these two leading Scottish jewellers is assured by a rigorous chain of custody procedure independently validated by the Edinburgh Assay Office, which tracks and traces the gold from the mine to the refiner, then to the jeweller until it is made into a complete item of jewellery. Only jewellery stamped by Edinburgh Assay Office with the Scotgold Precious Metals Mark can be guaranteed as authentic gold from Scotgold.

Transcript of A glittering announcement for the official jewellers … · A glittering announcement for the...

Page 1: A glittering announcement for the official jewellers … · A glittering announcement for the official jewellers of Scottish gold ... in the Orkney Islands where Sheila designs

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! NEWS RELEASE

A glittering announcement for the official jewellers of Scottish gold Leading independent jewellers Hamilton & Inches and Sheila Fleet to be authorised retailers of Scottish gold.The most significant announcement for the Scottish jewellery industry in generations has been made today (30th June, 2017), as the retailers of the first refined batch of Scottish Gold for jewellery were revealed as Scotland’s luxury jewellery house Hamilton & Inches and award-winning Orkney jewellery designer Sheila Fleet OBE.

The Scottish Gold, from Cononish gold and silver mine near Tyndrum, will now be developed by the individual jewellers into their uniquely designed collections. Once Scottish Gold from Scotgold Resources has been delivered to each jeweller, Hamilton & Inches and Sheila Fleet will make individual announcements of their plans for the design and retail of this most exclusive of precious metals from Scotland.

The provenance of the gold for these two leading Scottish jewellers is assured by a rigorous chain of custody procedure independently validated by the Edinburgh Assay Office, which tracks and traces the gold from the mine to the refiner, then to the jeweller until it is made into a complete item of jewellery. Only jewellery stamped by Edinburgh Assay Office with the Scotgold Precious Metals Mark can be guaranteed as authentic gold from Scotgold.

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Hamilton & Inches is Scotland’s luxury jewellery house, with distinctive workshops and an iconic customer showroom in the heart of Edinburgh, established in 1866 by Robert Kirk Inches and his uncle, James Hamilton. With 150 years of heritage, the company has three floors of workshops handcrafting fine jewellery and silver as holders of the Royal Warrant for 120 years, and Silversmiths and Clock Specialists to The Queen.

Sheila Fleet is one of Scotland’s leading jewellery designers. She is a familiar name in Scotland with her shops in Kirkwall, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Loch Lomond. The heart of her business is in the Orkney Islands where Sheila designs and makes all her original rings and distinctive jewellery in her workshop by the sea with her skilled team of jewellers and enamellers. Sheila holds an OBE for her services to the jewellery industry and an Honorary Degree from Edinburgh College of Art for outstanding jewellery design.

Hamilton & Inches’ Chief Executive, Stephen Paterson, said: “As jewellers for generations since 1866, Hamilton & Inches is proud to be chosen as a recipient of Scottish Gold. The utmost quality of craft and materials has always been at the heart of our story here at Scotland’s luxury jewellery house, and our reputation for responsible sourcing has stood firm through the years.”

“The purest possible Scottish Gold has been entrusted to us in 22ct yellow and our fine jewellery designers and master craftspeople will bring the unique heritage of our jewellery house and our future vision for British luxury craft to inspire the most exceptional commissions and in-house designs. We are excited by the opportunities Scottish Gold brings for the future of our industry and we look forward to welcoming customers through our doors to explore their personal vision for its possibilities.”

Sheila Fleet OBE, said: “Designing and making rings and jewellery with Scottish Gold will be amazing, like the icing on the cake for me after almost 50 years as a designer-maker, it makes my designs even more special for me and my customers. My journey from the early 1960s at Edinburgh Art College combined with my lapidary hobby gave me a lifelong interest in Scottish rocks and minerals. I have several rock structure sketches on my design board and I can’t wait to develop these into 18 carat Scottish Gold rings.”

“Everything will be made to order. We specialise in enamel colours and can offer a variety of reds, greens and blue-green colourways which look sumptuous on 18 carat yellow gold, particularly when laced with diamonds and other precious stones. We'd like to offer customers the opportunity to watch their Scottish Gold engagement, wedding or eternity rings being made in our Orkney Workshop, a wonderful memory of a moment in time, a collectable heirloom designed and made in Scotland with Scottish Gold."

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Richard Gray, Chief Executive of Scotgold Resources, said “This is a superb milestone for Scotgold and it validates our belief in the strength and value of combining Scottish Gold of proven provenance with the skill and prestige of the Scottish jewellery industry"

Ends.

Notes to Editors: ● Images of the signing of the first sale of Scottish gold to jewellers, of Cononish gold and

silver mine, and of Scottish gold available via link.

Hamilton & Inches

● Hamilton & Inches is Scotland’s luxury jewellery house, with distinctive workshops and an iconic customer showroom in the heart of Edinburgh. With 150 years of heritage, Hamilton & Inches brings the world’s most aspirational brands to life and crafts each gift with prestige and pride. Hamilton & Inches are holders of the Royal Warrant for 120 years, and Silversmiths and Clock Specialists to The Queen.

● Established in 1866 by Robert Kirk Inches and his uncle, James Hamilton, more information about Hamilton & Inches can be found by visiting our website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

● Images of Hamilton & Inches workshops, and Chief Executive Stephen Paterson available via link.

● For media enquiries, please contact Fiona Leith, [email protected], 07484312838.

Sheila Fleet ● Sheila Fleet is one of Scotland’s leading jewellery designers. She grew up in the Orkney

Islands and trained at Edinburgh College of Art in the mid 1960s. She went on to gain an OBE for services to the jewellery industry and an Honorary Degree for outstanding design. Sheila’s original designs are inspired by the shapes, colours and textures of the sea and landscape around her and by Scotland’s rich heritage. All her jewellery is designed and made in her Workshop by the sea in Orkney.

● Sheila Fleet OBE celebrates 50 years working in the jewellery industry this year and continues to design, develop and lead the creative direction of Sheila Fleet Jewellery. It all very much remains a family affair with Sheila’s son, Martin managing the business with his wife, Mairi. Spring 2018 promises to be very exciting as the family plan to open a new Showroom and Kirk Café in the converted church beside their Workshop. More information can be found by visiting our Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest pages.

● Images of Sheila’s jewellery and rings and her Orkney Workshop are available via link and are free to use.

● For media enquiries, please contact Martin Fleet, [email protected], 01856 861 203 or 0780 920 4165

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Scotgold ● Cononish was identified in the 1980s but serious work only began when bought by

Scotgold in 2007 and a full development plan was completed in 2013 ● A dramatic fall in the gold price disrupted the projects project finance and Scotgold only

advanced again when the company was recapitalised and reinvigorated by Nat Le Roux in 2014 and the current CEO, Richard Gray, was appointed.

● Today the reality of the first Scottish gold mine is within reach - thanks to the vision and support of local people, the Scottish government and the company’s investors. 

● In September 2016 Scotgold celebrated with its neighbours, investors and elected officials the first pour of Scottish gold at their mine.

● Once in full operation, Cononish will produce up to 29,000 ounces of gold a year, for the 8 years of estimated life, providing 60 jobs for local people.

● The gold that has been made available to jewellers comes from the Bulk Processing Trial which ends in December 2017. Mine production is expected to commence early in 2019 following project development