Glittering prizes created to honour new and existing events, we have been custom-designing trophies for the world’s most elite sporting competitions for more than 150 years. Discover the different stages that make the bespoke trophy process such an exciting, involved experience.
Similar to a bespoke jewellery commission, creating a custom-designed trophy is a collaborative process that begins with an invitation to visit our flagship London store for a private appointment with our design team. This first meeting is an opportunity to discuss the event in more detail and tell us what you hope to achieve with the design, as well as share any ideas and inspirations you may have.
Upon agreeing on a budget, our designers will begin generating ideas, creating sketches and refining the details of your bespoke trophy. Experts at weaving in historical references and key elements of an event, always with a Garrard twist, within 2-3 weeks of your first appointment you will be presented with a beautifully rendered design in colour.
Once you have signed off the design, your bespoke trophy is ready to be crafted by our master silversmiths. Handled with the utmost care throughout, the trophy will progress through as many as eight different stages of craftsmanship, beginning with the annealing of the silver – an intense heat-treating process that allows the silversmith to work with the precious metal.
The silversmith spins the precious metal using a lathe to create the hollow, three-dimensional body of the trophy. When the perfect proportions have been achieved, the chasing, engraving and applied decoration are added by hand to the exterior of the trophy, according to the design. Next, each component is assembled and hallmarked before the final polish that brings a trophy to gleaming life.
Using traditional silversmithing techniques that have changed little over the centuries, each new design undergoes an intricate, very complex manufacturing process. We therefore ask that you allow a lead time of approximately 12 weeks for the creation of your bespoke trophy.
To discuss a private commission for your event, please get in contact with our Corporate Services team. Our bespoke trophy-making service can be tailored to match a specific budget and event date, with our in-house team on hand to guide you through the many design options.
