While looking into her genealogy, particularly the Cumberbatches from Barbados, Helen Ashton discovered the silversmith Omar Ramsden and his connection to her family.

Omar Ramsden and fellow Sheffield-born designer Alwyn Carr set up a partnership in 1898 moving to London to exploit the fashionable taste for handmade silver of the Arts and Crafts Movement and, with the help of skilled artisans, made articles adapted from Gothic and Renaissance designs with Celtic-style inscriptions, which became their trademark.

A fascinating story, painstakingly researched following one of the most successful silversmithing collaborations of the 20th century. Helen’s interest became a fascinating obsession, resulting in three years of research to find out about his family background in Sheffield and his long partnership.

Helen Ashton

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