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Martin Wilde - Master Jeweller

Martin Wilde began his career with a three year course at the Medway College of Design now known as the University of Kent, Rochester. This comprised of designing and making silverware. During 1978 Martin won first prize in the young silversmith designers competition held at Goldsmith Hall London. Later, Martin began working for the House of Lawrian based in Southend, he ran the loss wax casting section of the business. After this he moved to London and gained a position in a company called Alpha Jewels based in kentish town near highgate. His first few weeks were spent on a trip to Pforzheim Germany where he trained in a company called Shenkel Lost Wax Casters. While in Germany he visited many workshops and purchased casting equipment from different companies to be shipped to England to set up a new casting factory in Kentish town. On his return he installed all machines and began training others in the process of loss wax casting.

Three years later Martin moved back to Maidstone and joined a jewellers in Kent where he repaired jewellery. After 7 years here, an opportunity arose to venture out on his own and run his own jewellery business. A close friend from Martin’s college days had informed him about a premises for lease in The Mill Yard West Malling. During 1989 he opened his jewellery shop, starting with no stock and very little tools, he carried out jewellery repairs and started to build up his clientele. Making this possible was Martin’s parents and father in law by lending him money to buy his lease on the premises and an important piece of equipment. Also during the early years of starting his own business Martin’s father Barry helped out in the shop by serving and completing the book keeping.

Now with over thirty years of experience working in the jewellery industry, he is able to combine traditional handmaking techniques through to modern day computer aided design and manufacturing processes. Martin has always been interested with keeping informed about latest technologies used within the jewellery industry and was one of the first in the country to use Matrix jewellery design software.

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