ABSTRACT
Attitudes towards female jewellers and their designs were varied. Critics of the work of Mrs Hadaway were also ambiguous. It is perhaps strange that the art of the goldsmith and jeweller, an art so romantic and alluring, should have become what it is now – a dull and stereotyped commercial business. The trade has mastered the technique, overmastered it, one might say, and left the essentials out. The chief artistic difficulty all round seems to be to produce good work that will pay, or at least that will provide a living for the workers. There are a number of women who make really good jewellery, and a number who just fall short of doing good work. There is much difference of opinion about the diamond now; some artists refuse to make use of it at all. About 20 years ago, a commercial house made an effort to elevate the public taste in jewellery.
