The festive season is just around the corner and our collection of Christmas gifts and decorations is available now to bring a touch of style to your celebrations. We spoke with Abbie Williams, a Royal Mint product designer, who was behind some of the beautiful pieces in the collection.
Tell us about your role.
“I joined The Royal Mint three and a half years ago. My background is in jewellery design, both in creating pieces and teaching others. It’s a skill that maps across to The Royal Mint well, as it demands an eye for detail and an understanding of how precious metals react to particular processes and techniques. I work very closely with Gordon Summers, the Chief Engraver, to create and perfect techniques, and with the production teams to turn ideas into beautiful and useful pieces.”
What do you enjoy most about your job?
“Pushing manufacturing to its limits gets me really excited! The Royal Mint has such a wealth of experience and an unrivalled heritage, but it is balanced with a passion for innovation and some of the most state-of-the-art equipment in minting. I love channelling all this into creating products that have both style and function.”
What inspired the 2022 Christmas Collection?
“The inspiration for the Christmas decorations and gifts was the interplay of light. This is something that we explore frequently when creating coin designs. Hexurity is a technique created by Gordon, which involves the hiding of an image within a surface. This is then revealed as light catches the design; it was something I felt would translate perfectly to the Christmas Collection.”
Tell us about some of the pieces.
“Christmas decorations and gifts really lend themselves to this idea; when produced in precious metals they can catch glimpses of light, especially at this time of year when candles are flickering and fairy lights decorate our homes.
“Two of the tree decorations feature star constellation designs. Stars work brilliantly to capture and reflect light with their multifaceted shape.
“Following on from our Una and the Lion decoration last year, with the Three Graces decoration we are paying tribute to a truly iconic design, so it was important to allow it space so the viewer can see its beauty.
“The lid on our luxury Christmas candles doubles as a candle topper and coaster and is embossed with a beautiful design that continues the interplay of light theme.
How do you feel about the completed collection?
“The range is a great showcase for The Royal Mint’s heritage and skill and for the passionate people who work here. Here, we can do things with materials and metals that others can’t. The beauty and clarity of the designs are testimony to the pioneering techniques we have created.”
The 2022 Christmas Collection is available now, with gifts from unique Advent calendars to bullion bars.
