A new report from Heritage Crafts has revealed that 20 more traditional crafts in the UK are now at serious risk of disappearing, bringing the total number of endangered skills on the Red List of Endangered Crafts to 165. It’s a stark reminder that many of the techniques behind beautiful, handcrafted work are hanging by a thread. Without urgent action many of these heritage craft skills could disappear within a generation.
Among the latest additions is silver allied trades — including specialist skills like lost wax casting, wire drawing, and hand polishing. These aren’t just heritage techniques; they’re the foundations of quality jewellery making. Rising costs, limited training, and intense market pressure are pushing these crafts to the brink.
At Silverwood, we know this struggle first-hand. We are fully committed to producing all our jewellery here in the UK, but skilled jewellers are often struggling to keep their business going, so finding skilled jewellers who can create for a brand like ours and to high standards is becoming increasingly difficult. Many of the traditional silversmithing skills we rely on have already disappeared from the country. This makes our work more challenging and costly — but also more important.
It’s not just silversmithing that needs support. Woodturning, another craft deeply connected to our identity, is also a craft we don’t want to see disappear. These skills reflect centuries of artistry and innovation — and they deserve a future. We can’t take them for granted.
By supporting makers who continue to work by hand, and by choosing thoughtfully made over mass-produced, we can all play a part in keeping these traditions alive.
Let’s not lose them on our watch.
