Malcolm Appleby MBE Engraver
We are proud to be working with one of Britain’s most outstanding and influential engravers alive today on our latest cufflink collection. Malcolm Appleby is one of Britain’s most celebrated silversmith-engravers. He has recently been awarded an MBE for his services to engraving. His work is commissioned by The Royal Family, the V&A Museum and 10 Downing Street.
It was while working as an unofficial apprentice with John Wilkes, a traditional form of gun makers, that he became besotted with gun engraving. His magnificent skill at engraving has brought him many commissions including the official seal of the Victoria & Albert Museum and a condiment set that sits on the dining table at 10 Downing Street.
The quality and inventiveness of the Appleby engravings are simply breath-taking. He loves to mix silver and gold, and will take a humble piece of iron or wood and turn it into an item of outstanding beauty with rare and precious stones.
Today, Malcolm lives in Perthshire with his wife Philippa Swann, a highly respected journalist and photographer. The landscape and nature that surrounds them is a rich source of inspiration. Swans, cats, bees, salmon, Scots pine and wild flowers find their way into many of his pieces. Often they are quirky and characterful and are drawn with humour. Malcolm calls them his beasties. The National Museums of Scotland, the Goldsmiths Company, the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford and the Silver Trust have all commissioned and purchased Malcolm’s work.