TALK: Hidden Heritage Craft: Faking Jewels

Discover the hidden history of counterfeit jewel making and its special links to Farnham with artist and researcher Alison Whitaker.

Inspired by the counterfeit jewels on the former Shrine of St Swithun at Winchester Cathedral and its infamous destruction by Henry VIII's men, Alison will share some of the latest research from her new book The Jewel Forger of Winchester: A Composition of Sources.

This highly visual one-hour talk delves into the covert practice of creating fake gemstones during the 16th century, how Farnham's connections to historic glass making may have been central to counterfeiting and how we can see echoes of these techniques in contemporary craft.

Image: Brooch with Counterfeit Emerald. The Cloisters Collection, 1957, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Open Access.