The Story of
St Oakes Silverware
Discover the heritage of English engraved silverware.
With generations in the trade, Harry Stokes continues the beautiful history of the English silversmith and fine art of engraving.
SILVER HOMEWARE
STERLING SILVER GIFTS
SIGNET RINGS
Family, Tradition
and Innovation
His grandfather, whose name Harry carries, worked alongside John Cook - who for many years, was the jeweller at Harrods.
At seventeen, Harry was apprenticed as a goldsmith with the Cook family business. A thorough grounding in the discipline of fine craftsmanship; it was silversmithing — and in particular, engraving — that became the passion that is at the heart of St Oakes.
Two years followed at the foundation that has trained some of Britain’s finest contemporary silversmiths: the Bishopsland Educational Trust. From there, he studied polishing and machining at Asprey; forging flatware in Sheffield and construction with Ottlewills.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIA SKUPNY
Award-winning English Silverware
Harry Stokes’s work has won nine consecutive awards from the Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council — a record that speaks for itself.
The Art and Craft
of the Graver
Merely decorative?
Fine Engraving is the result
of a meticulous, trained eye, masterful draughtsmanship and centuries-old tradition.
Engraving with the Master
Harry Stokes is noted to be the last apprentice of Ken Hunt
— one of the most celebrated master gun engravers of the twentieth century — the heritage of English craftsmanship is at the core of St Oakes.
Harry’s engraving in sterling silver and gold is illustrative in style — drawn from the natural world, from his apprenticeship with Ken Hunt, and his early passion for fine art and the skill of drawing. He works to commission, with a preference of one work at a time and that each bespoke piece has a story to tell.
THE FUTURE OF SILVERSMITHING