As gold prices rose in the 1970s, jewellers began to look for alternatives to precious metals. Traditionally, they would have turned to base metals, such as bronze, iron and steel. Now, with the continuous search for the ‘new’, they sought out a wider repertoire of metals and innovative techniques to create colour through patina. Silver was oxidised, aluminium anodised and painted.

In the space industry, experiments with new materials led to the use of metals such as titanium and niobium. Their iridescent colours, achieved through heat or electrical currents, soon attracted the attention of jewellery designers. Here, the surface of the niobium was coloured by submerging the earrings in an anodic bath and passing controlled electric currents through the metal.

Alan Craxford was trained at the Central School of Art and Design and Sir John Cass, in London. Today he works mainly with precious metals which he engraves and carves using various shades of gold. These skills require high precision. The surfaces create differing visual effects depending on how the light falls. Craxford works exclusively on one-off commissions. His exquisite jewels often include rare and unusual gemstones.