Silver & Steel is an award winning small business that connects the jewellery making industry with those who love quality, sustainable jewellery and design.
This is a contemporary Jewellery Gallery and Workshop space with a twist.
Set up by local jeweller Bethany May Silver, Silver & Steel aims to make the jewellery industry more accessible and tackle fast fashion culture in jewellery buying habits.
We have created a custom built space for jewellery making and are using it to platform local independent designers, introduce people to the craft and create a space for local makers to work and learn together.
We have resident designers using the studio who make and sell their work on site. We also offer pay as you go studio access to silversmiths and jewellers in the Bristol area.
Members of the public can come along and learn about making jewellery by signing up for a workshop, and you can shop for unique, ethically made independent jewellery right here in store.
Our Gallery space promotes beautiful design and we have regular jewellery and photography exhibitions and jewellery related events.
Join the network and come to one of our workshops or events.
People are the heart of what we do at Silver & Steel. We are proud to have a strong community of resident makers, visiting tutors, guest designers and affiliated makers and friends in Bristol and around the world and we believe strength and growth comes from connection.
Engaging with jewellery should be for everyone. We weave inclusivity throughout the business in who we platform, work with and support. We are wheelchair accessible, neurodivergent friendly and offer jewellery as affordable luxury. We pride ourselves on giving practical access to an industry which often happens behind closed doors.
We are always looking to platform designers who go the extra mile to be sustainable. All of our workshops use recycled metals and we try and source stones from sustainable sources including post consumer estate sales. The studio is powered by 100% renewable energy providers and we are working on becoming carbon neutral.
We believe accessibility is about more than physical access – it’s about creating an environment where people feel comfortable, respected, and able to engage at their own pace. Our gallery and workshop are designed to feel welcoming rather than intimidating, with a calm, inclusive atmosphere that encourages curiosity, conversation and creativity.
If you’ve ever felt intimidated by a learning environment or craft spaces in general, or wondered whether your work is “good enough” to be stocked somewhere, we want you to know you are welcome here exactly as you are. This is not a space for judgement, but for exploration, experimentation, and gentle growth. If it’s not something that we can stock we are happy to explain why. We value process as much as finished pieces, and we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to learn, create, and develop confidence in their own way.
By centring kindness, flexibility and thoughtful communication, we aim to create a space where more people can feel that jewellery shopping, craftsmanship, and creative learning are truly for them.
The jewellery industry can be quite insular and littered with exclusivity. It’s also expensive to learn and invest in equipment for home studios, not to mention the risk that comes with having open flames (which many private studios in Bristol don’t allow). Before Silver & Steel, there wasn’t a place for jewellers to work in a collaborative space, most people work alone and struggle to find somewhere to upskill and connect with eachother and with customers.
Silver & Steel was created to solve these problems.
Not only are we a one of a kind space connecting the public to the craft of jewellery making. We are a platform where designers can reach new audiences, learn new skills and access equipment.
Most of the designers we stock aren’t available in other high street stores due to their position in the market. We platform people who are paying themselves well but with the focus being on design and story rather than the most expensive finer materials. This means a lot of the jewellery we stock sits in a mid price point that you don’t generally find with jewellery galleries.
We have a community of tutors who come from different making and professional backgrounds. The diversity in experience brings a rich wealth of knowledge to our courses and all of our tutors are down to earth, kind and compassionate. We also keep class sizes small so you have plenty of one on one time with the tutor.
Coming to Silver & Steel means being part of something truly unique.
