Celebrating 290 years of Garrard with an intimate dinner and Gold Cup preview
Celebrating 290 years as the world’s oldest jewellery house, guests gather one May evening above our iconic Mayfair boutique.
On a warm May evening in Mayfair, a constellation of special guests pulled up outside 24 Albemarle St to make their way into the storied world of our flagship boutique. A new generation of tastemakers gathered to toast to the remarkable 290th anniversary of Garrard, the world’s oldest jeweller, and the next chapter boldly being crafted by women.
Icons dazzling in their own right, the party of guests celebrated whilst adorned in Garrard jewellery chosen especially for the occasion. They included models Arizona Muse and Nimi Blackwell, stylist Kyle De Vollee, British journalist Suzy Menkes, author Yomi Adegoke, and model and DJ Zara Martin.
As Official Trophies and Silverware Supplier for Royal Ascot, the candle-lit evening featured a special preview of the historic Gold Cup bearing Garrard’s 290th anniversary commemorative mark. The most prestigious cup at Royal Ascot, the Gold Cup is a symbol of Garrard’s long-standing role in British sporting tradition and royal patronage.
A Cup Reborn
The oldest and most prestigious race at Royal Ascot, the Gold Cup is a marathon ride of two-and-a-half miles to test the stamina of the finest staying horses across Europe.
Traditionally presented by the reigning British monarch, the winner of the Gold Cup has the honour of keeping the trophy in perpetuity. Therefore, Garrard is commissioned to specially hand-craft an original cup each year alongside the Royal Hunt Cup and the Queen’s Vase.
Since 1842, each Gold Cup design by Garrard has been approved by Trustees of Ascot and a representative of the British Monarch; commencing with Queen Victoria, and now with King Charles III. The design of the trophy has evolved over the years from the elaborate sculptural designs of the 18th century, to the sleek and elegant designs of the 1930s.
Honouring King Charles’ lifelong commitment to sustainability, AgAIN Silver has been used in the creation of each of the Royal Ascot trophies since 2023. A sustainable, fully traceable precious metal extracted from recycled X-ray films from hospitals across the UK and Ireland, AgAIN Silver is the first recycled silver of known provenance on the market.
A History That Couldn’t Be Scripted
Legends of the race include Sagaro, winning three times in the 1970s, and Stradivarius with three straight wins from 2018 to 2020. Above them all, though, is Yeats; Ascot’s greatest equine legend. The four-time winner (2006 to 2009) is immortalised in a life-size bronze statue that stands in solitary splendor in the centre of the Parade Ring.
It was Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who made sporting history “you could not script” by becoming the first reigning monarch to win the Gold Cup in 2013 with her horse Estimate, trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by jockey Ryan Moore.
“Each year the Gold Cup is reborn by Garrard, reimagining what the gold-standard for victory can be. Every new incarnation of the Cup’s design is a reflection of our times – pushing forward the legend and iconography of sporting excellence.”
Claire Scott, Design and Development Director
Visit the Ascot website for information on how to attend this year’s Royal Meeting.