About us

Our history

Merriman Silver has been in business for over twenty years and has supplied galleries and stores all over the world including Bergdorf Goodman, Braybrook and Britten, Fortnum and Mason, Gumps, Harrods, Liberty, Polo Ralph Lauren and Saks 5th Avenue . Our designs and our business have won a number of awards and we have pieces in the National Silver Collection and in the permanent collection at Manchester City Museum.

Philippa Merriman has also undertaken a number of prestigious commissions.

All the pieces are designed and made in house, specialising in hand raised and forged items - traditional techniques that are now hard to find. Every item is hallmarked in Sheffield and carries the date, quality and makers mark.

Products

The company produces two broad ranges of items, which are listed below. Although Philippa specialises in tableware and pieces for the home, there is also a range of baby gifts and gifts for men. The style is one of simple elegance where the weight and balance of a piece is of greatest importance. We never lose sight of the fact that a piece should feel satisfying as well as look beautiful.

Silver

The focus is on hand raising and forging - both methods of forming a curved item from a single flat piece of metal using hammers and stakes. These techniques require a great deal of skill and time and are characterised by the silver item having a hammered finish and a great deal of strength.

In addition we produce fabricated pieces - where the item is made from shaped pieces of metal either soldered or rivetted together. Where the pieces involve cast elements the models and casting moulds have all been produced in house.

Because of the variety of production methods the price range is great. Small fabricated or cast pieces are available from a few pounds, large hand-raised ones may cost a few thousand pounds - there is something here for everyone.

Horn and silver

The horn items are made for Merriman Silver by a craftsman in Cumbria. The horn is then dresed with silver. All the horn is certified as being a natural by-product of agricultural activity. Nothing has been killed for its horn. It has a natural beauty and varies greatly in colour. Merriman Silver will try to match the colour that you like but this is not always possible.
Horn is a very durable material (it has, after all, been on the front of a cow for a good few years), and does not mind being put in vinegar, oil and so on. However, it does not like too great a heat and cannot be put in the dishwasher. Since it is finished to a high polish, hand washing is easy. After much use pieces can lose some of their lustre, in which event all they need is a little wipe with olive oil.

The horn items are formed from a cylindrical shape with a hollow core in its' centre, thus some of the pieces will have a small groove in them. This is part of the natural beauty of horn.

Returns policy.

In addition to our policy on goods damaged in transit, which is laid out in sections 7 and 9 of the terms and conditions, we accept the responsibility to replace or repair any item which fails, through no fault of the buyer, in the first 6 months after delivery. In this event we would accept responsibility for any costs of carriage involved.