Harry Stokes
About Harry Stokes
St Oakes creates fine engraved silverware, handcrafted by award-winning silversmith Harry Stokes. Working with traditional tools, a St Oakes piece is defined by a distinctive illustrative engraving style.
Apprenticed at the age of 17, Harry first trained as a goldsmith at a firm associated with his grandfather (also his namesake), before embracing the specialised skill-set of silversmithing and hand engraving.
St Oakes exhibits at various shows across the UK, and has won various awards for hand-engraving and silversmithing, including 9 consecutive awards with the Goldsmiths Craft and Design Council. Harry’s designs have a strong sense of enduring tradition, passed on and developed for the world of modern British silver.
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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.
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.
Information on commissions
All Goldsmiths’ Fair exhibitors welcome commissions. Don’t hesitate to contact this maker and start a conversation about commissioning a piece, unique to you. Examples of commissioning include transforming or combining old jewellery into new pieces, incorporating stones into new settings, or simply working together to create a bespoke piece in the style of this maker.
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