An award-winning Dublin-based silversmith whose work was previously presented to Pope Francis has been left “devastated” and “facing bankruptcy” after what he described as his life’s work was stolen last weekend.
Séamus Gill, a highly distinguished silversmith, handcrafted a silver cruet set for Pope Francis’s 2018 visit, and his work is on display in the National Museum of Ireland.
His workshop, which is located in what would typically be considered a secure location in a shared building near Dublin’s docklands, had what he believes to have been a planned and well-orchestrated break-in last weekend.
The 61-year-old arrived at his workshop of 30 years on Monday to what he termed “devastation”, with display cabinets once filled with jewellery and silversmith work, such as candle holders and vases, lying empty.
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“Everything was tossed around the place but they were very professional,” he said of the thieves, adding that CCTV cameras were “sprayed out”.
With the exception of pieces being hallmarked at the time of the robbery, which were held at a different location, about 300 items were stolen, including “legacy pieces” locked in a safe that was broken into. These are irreplaceable originals kept from collections made over the last 40 years.
“I’m absolutely devastated, this is my home from home. Everything that you take for granted was just taken away from me in such a short space of time,” he said.
“If these end up just melted down, it’s a loss of so much,” he added, though melting down the work would require doing so at an “industrial” level.
Others in the industry have been left “puzzled” that Mr Gill was targeted in “such a specialised way”, as his work is unique and distinctive.
All of his pieces are hallmarked, a form of copyrighting which includes a silversmith’s initials and the Hibernian symbol, Mr Gill said. He pleaded with the public to make contact with gardaí should they see works of his they suspect could be stolen, or know anything about their whereabouts.
Mr Gill supplies his work to several stores including Weir & Sons jewellers on Grafton Street and Kilkenny’s flagship shop on Nassau Street in Dublin. Alongside Pope Francis, his silversmithing work has been presented to Norway’s King Harald V and Belgium’s King Albert II.
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He is still calculating the financial loss, but “I’m facing bankruptcy”, he said.
Unfinished works including a new jewellery collection he has been developing for two years along with prototypes have also been stolen, meaning he will have to start over.
“That information has been lost,” he said. “It’s very upsetting – they’re pieces I value for the work that’s gone into them,” he said.
“Within the trade, a lot of people are going back 40 years, and nobody’s heard of something like this happening in Ireland before,” he said, adding: “I’ve been crying a lot, it gets me at odd stages.”
