The time and care that go into product photography is often underestimated and undervalued by many luxury brands- this isn’t the case at Thomas Lyte. We believe that exquisite craftsmanship requires exquisite photography. It’s no mistake that Hungry Tiger, one of London’s top photographic studios, is right on our doorstep.
At Hungry Tiger every detail is taken into consideration: every reflection, every grain of leather, every embossing or engraving is carefully, and often individually, lit. Every shot requires its own unique and often sprawling set-up resulting in a mish-mashed obstacle course of soft boxes, Broncolor heads, power packs and large faux black walls.
Using Hassleblad bodies and lenses with digital backs, every single Thomas Lyte shot is repeatedly captured, digitally previewed, analyzed and quality approved to reach the standard our products and clients deserve. The experience of a Thomas Lyte shoot at Hungry Tiger is guaranteed to be backed up by the friendly banter provided by the team and is a block in my diary I always look forward to!
Shot Set
Reflecting light into the rim of a salver
Iain Dickens capturing a shot
Digital previewing
Thomas Lyte silverware is hand-made by our craftsmen at our London Workshop. We are proud to have some of this country’s finest and most experienced silversmiths and polishers who create some the world’s most famous pieces of iconic silverware.
To ensure that your silverware has longevity and retains its look and condition we have provided a few answers to some frequently asked questions.
How do you remove fingerprints from silver?
Simply rub a dry cloth lightly on the silver to remove any finger marks.
How do you remove any light scratches on the silver?
A standard silver polish/cleaner that can be bought in most stores will be good to remove any light scratches. Take a dry cloth and apply a little of the liquid to the cloth. Run into the scratch, leave to dry, then rub off with a soft dry cloth and complete with the silver polishing cloth.
What if the silver should get wet?
Allow the piece of silver to dry out completely, using a hair dryer if required. When the surface is dry, use a liquid silver polish as above, or try to remove any water marks with the polishing cloth. Do not try to dry the silver with a cloth or towel as it will be badly marked and it will require a full machine polish to restore the shine.
What if the silver should tarnish?
This is a natural process when the metal is exposed to the air and the speed at which the item will tarnish depends on the climatic conditions where it is on display. To avoid tarnishing, the silver should be polished with the polishing cloth on a regular basis, weekly is good to reduce the amount of tarnishing. If left without cleaning, the tarnish “settles” into the silver and is difficult to remove with a cloth. If this should occur, the item should be returned to the workshop for a full clean and polish.
What if the silver is dropped and gets dented?
Should any accidents occur the item can be sent to our workshop to be repaired. Call us on +44 (1) 208 500 3700 or email master silversmith Kevin Williams at kevin.williams@thomaslyte.com
This post was written by Kevin Williams, Master Silversmith at Thomas Lyte.
Simon Crompton, the author of Permanent Style blog, recently visited our London Leather Workshop. Permanent Style is recommended by the New York Times, as one of the top ten men’s style blogs.
I was introduced to a brand recently called Thomas Lyte. Better known for their silver work (it’s their responsibility to maintain and refurbish the FA Cup), they also have a growing selection of leather goods with an admirable focus on craft.
I visited the leather workshop in south-west London last week to take a look at how the bags are put together.
The leather they use comes from a small German tannery called Breuninger, which Thomas Lyte effectively saved from insolvency when it bought a large order of mustard-coloured grain leather a few years ago. Now functioning and solvent, Breuninger has retained the mustard dye (together with a grey) exclusively for Thomas Lyte.
The vegetable-tanned leather uses a method called tipping to bring out the fine grain the company has stamped on it. Essentially this means dying the leather twice, once before and once after stamping, the second time using a darker dye that sits between the raised grain and adds contrast. Read More at Permanent Style…
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