Genealogy Forum UK

I have an ancestor who was working as an Art Metal Smith (Master) around 1925.
Does anyone know what would have qualified him as a Master, would it have been a formal qualification or maybe membership of a Guild?
Or could he have just have chosen to call himself a master ?
Thanks,
Pam.

By that time he would probably have served a formal apprenticeship with a reputable firm. He would have had to make a piece that had been judged as exceptional and would be paying a regular fee to some sort of Guild or trade association, not in the medieval sense but more a loose knit group of individuals and companies who wished to see good standards upheld. Like todays trade associations different 'Guilds' had different standards, some being a way of fleecing tradesmen of a few quid each year, some being truly professional bodies and others filling in the gaps in between.

Of course that is the case if he was telling the truth, have you seen the adverts from those days?

Thank you for the reply, I had a look at the Oldcopper.org which is a great site and lists loads of different companies working around the midlands but I have no idea who he was working for. I thought if he had to have been registered with a Guild I might have a chance of tracking down some records of his company. I think he may have manufactured fire guards in the Sedgley area but I haven’t seen any old adverts from that time.