Sheffield silversmith Rebecca Joselyn set to display gift for Queen - a sardine can

Rebecca Joselyn first attracted national attention on Channel 4’s popular show Four Rooms. But in early 2022, she was texted by Ashley Carson, assay master at Sheffield Assay Office, one of only four institutions in the UK that hallmarks and tests the purity of precious metals. He asked if she had any unique gift ideas.

Her proposal - a sterling silver sardine can with an 18-carat gold interior - won him over and was chosen as a gift to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Rebecca said: “I take inspiration from the unassuming everyday items we take for granted and throw away without a second thought.”

She will be displaying a replica sardine can at Goldsmiths North, a three-day designer jewellery and silverware market at the Cutler’s Hall on Church Street in Sheffield from Friday-Sunday July 7-9.

Rebecca, a Sheffield Hallam University graduate who is based at Yorkshire Artspace, admits the Channel 4 show “changed everything”.

She added: “Thanks to that appearance, I was inundated with commissions and my sales blew-up overnight. Finally, I could pack-in that final part time job and go full-time as a silversmith.”

Today, she continues to design and make pieces, while mentoring new talent.

“When I won a place on the starter studio program all those years ago, I was paired with renowned Sheffield silversmith Brett Payne, who acted as my mentor.

“To go full circle and now be the one helping new talent is a very special feeling.”