About & Visit
Housed on the first floor of Goldsmiths’ Hall, the Library was established in the 1950s as part of the Company’s mission to promote jewellery and silversmithing.
Library & Archives
Open three days a week our library and archives are for anyone researching jewellery, gold, silversmithing or family history. To see what we hold, how to book an appointment to visit and find out about how we can help with your research, use the links below.
Library Holdings
The Library contains over 8,000 books relating to gold and silversmithing, jewellery, assaying and hallmarking, precious metals, and the City of London and its guilds.
Highlights from the Archives
The Company’s archives date back to the 14th century, and the Library's collections include over 8,000 books and over 15,000 images, magazines and journals, films, special research collections.
Black history, the Company, and tracing links with the transatlantic slave trade
The gold and precious gems of Africa have had a huge impact on goldsmiths’ work around the world for millennia. We are also researching historic links with people of African descent, and with the transatlantic slave trade.
Film Archive
16mm films, VHS tapes and DVDs are held on subjects relating to silversmithing, jewellery and allied crafts. They range from the latest DVDs commissioned for Goldsmiths’ Company exhibitions to 20th century films which are now mainly of interest as historical sources.
Picture Library
The Library holds over 15,000 images on subjects relating to precious metalwork, jewellery, hallmarking and the Goldsmiths’ Company.
Publications for Sale
Books on the history of the Company, exhibition catalogues and the annual Goldsmiths' Review are available for purchase from The Library.