Benjamin James Ryan

Silversmith

©Julia Skupny

Silverware with a twist

Benjamin perfected his skills with master silversmith Dr Stuart Devlin
In 2010 he won the Young Designer Silversmith Award
He made a public art piece for Shakespeare’s house in Stratford-Upon-Avon

Part of a new class of silversmiths, Benjamin James Ryan enjoys combining traditional techniques such as polishing, hand raising and engraving with cutting-edge technologies like computer aided design, 3D printing, water jet cutting and CNC milling. Obsessed with building things out of Lego as a child “but only with certain colours”, he applied to do automotive design at university, but eventually opted for a degree in metalwork design and jewellery instead. “I realised I wasn’t going to have free rein on an exterior or even an interior of a car,” he says. “Whereas working on a product the size and scale of silver or jewellery offered me the opportunity to experience all elements of the process, from meeting the client to creating my own design through figuring out how I’m going to make it.”

Interview

©Julia Skupny

What inspires you?: My brain is a catalogue of images of everything I’ve seen and it might just take looking at something in a slightly different way to give me an idea. I like to experiment with new materials and techniques and I often pay homage to iconic design forms, using a functional or aesthetic twist to create unique products.
Why is it important to combine function and beauty?: It's always nice if you can give extra by designing something that looks beautiful and evokes a response, but at the same time has a hidden function, like my Luxus salt and pepper grinders. When people realise they have a function there's almost an added respect for the piece.
How does technology affect your work?: I create handcrafted silverware and jewellery combining the use of traditional skills and new technologies because there are certain things that I'm better off using something like a CNC or a water jet cutting machine for. They make it doable to make large scale high quality goods at a more sensible price.
What is most challenging – public art or silverware?: I would say public art because of its scale and the fact that I try to make those items to the same standard of finish as the silverware. But, in fact, the skills are transferable, so it depends. But it's always nice when you achieve something that is different to what else is out there.

Benjamin James Ryan is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2009