Silver of the Stars, an exhibition pairing ten Scottish silversmiths with ten celebrities, has opened in the Whiteley Silver Galleries in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

This exhibition, which will be on during Collect 07, is an initiative by the Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh, and it will tour to New York, St Petersburg, Beijing and Kyoto before returning to Edinburgh in January 2008 where it will be exhibited at the National Museums of Scotland in time to coincide with Goldsmiths 550th anniversary.

Each celebrity was asked who they would like to share a drink with, what the drink would be and where would they meet to do so.  A Scottish silversmith was then commissioned to create a unique piece for the occasion.

Silversmith Marion Kane, who is based in West Kilbride, was paired with actor Ewan McGregor, whose films include Star Wars, Trainspotting and Shallow Grave.   He recently completed a journey around the world on his BMW bike and his most memorable drink was on that trip, when he was given the strongest cup of coffee he has ever drunk at the Ukrainian border, having spent fourteen hours trying to get into the country.

Marion created a chunky and masculine coffee pot, mug and cream jug, sourcing reclaimed motorbike handles for the handles of the jug and mug. On the jug she laser engraved the names of the countries that Ewan and Charley Boorman visited on their "Long Way Round" motorbike trip and inscribed the registration plates of their bikes on the mug.

Each piece in the exhibition bears the hallmark of the Edinburgh Assay Office, which includes the maker's personal mark and bears the celebrity's signature.

The exhibition is on at the Whiteley Silver Galleries in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London from 31 January to19 March 2007.  Opening hours 10am to 5.45pm daily, open until 10pm Wednesday and last Friday of month.  Admission free.

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