Frederick Mason was born Frederick May into a family of jewellers in Birmingham and London. He trained as a brass finisher in England. He was later apprenticed, as John Mason, to fellow convict goldsmith Chom Reichberg in Perth. Years later he set up his own premises as Fred Mason and specialised in work using pearls. Those convicts who arrived in the 1850s and sixties with trade skills were often very successful. In 1875 The Inquirer printed a description of a piece made by Mason; “ ... massive gold pendant, pear shaped, set with pearls. In the centre … a beautiful gem weighing 100 grains”.
Mason was appointed goldsmith to the Governor Sir William Cleaver Robinson. The high point of his career was winning a first class medal at the 1881 International Exhibition in Perth. The papers described his work in glowing terms: “...nothing shown in any court can compare, for beauty and value, with Mr Mason’s show of clocks and jewellery … his beautiful exhibits of pearl jewellery, are the product of his own workshop.” Only two pieces of Mason’s work are known.
- Writers:
- Dr Dorothy Erickson
- Date written:
- 2010
- Last updated:
- 2011
