Biography for Bernard Cuzner

Employment

Cuzner was apprenticed to his watchmaker father on leaving school. However, he abandoned watchmaking after two years and went to work for a Birmingham Silver firm attending evening classes at the recently opened Vittoria Street School for jewellers and silversmiths under Robert Catterson Smith, who with Arthur Gaskin influenced his work during the early years. He began designing for Liberty's in about 1900 and various Liberty designs are attributed to him. He may also have been employed at some time by the Birmingham Guild of Handicraft. In the year 1910 he was appointed head of the Metalwork Department at the Birmingham School of Art in Margaret Street a position he held until retirement in 1942. He continued to work as a silversmith until his death in 1956.