Bromley master craftsman whose work has been compared to that of Carl Faberge defies life-threatening illnesses

By Alice Fuller

A master craftsman who has made jewellery for presidents and royals defied two life-threatening illnesses to recover his career.

Tony Bellingham, 62, from Bromley, spent decades creating works of art and travelling the world.

His clients included US presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George Bush Junior, as well as British and Saudi royalty.

But two illnesses halted his decades-long career.

He contracted tuberculosis (TB) in the stone mines of sub-Saharan Africa while on a trip to source art materials.

But towards the end of his recovery he was rushed to hospital with a suspected cardiac arrest.

He was admitted to King’s College Hospital in Camberwell, where a catheter inserted into his arm accidentally ruptured his radial nerve and artery.

His arm filled with blood and the mishap went undetected for more than 10 hours.

Mr Bellingham said: “It was excruciatingly painful. My arm was swollen to about two-and-a-half times its normal size and was blue and purple.

“I knew there was a serious problem.”

By the time the problem was discovered doctors were battling to save Mr Bellingham’s arm.

His nerves were irreversibly damaged and Mr Bellingham was left with compartment syndrome, a painful and serious condition caused by bleeding or swelling.

He said: “My hand was pretty well dead, so I ended up kicking up a lot of fuss because of the amount of pain I was in.

“The compartment syndrome had done severe damage to the nerves, and within seven or eight days of the surgery, the pain had become absolutely chronic.”

A further complication came later in the form of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).

CRPS is a rare form of chronic pain and is ranked as the most painful condition known to man.

It is rated above amputation and childbirth on the McGill Pain scale and is described as ‘the suicide disease’.

Mr Bellingham said: “The horrible bit about it is not because it’s the most painful disease known to man, it’s because it’s incessant and never ever stops.”

He has a rare form which means his hands blister as if they are being burnt when his hands are in water.

To help dull the pain he has had five stellate ganglion nerve blocks, but patients can’t have more than five.

The next option is a spine modification which dials nerves in and out, but Mr Bellingham is reluctant to have the procedure.

He said: “My experiences with hospitals and surgery have been horrific so I am not really sure I’m going to be able to bring myself to have that kind of surgery – especially not in South London.”

After his diagnosis Mr Bellingham worked hard to regain movement in his hand and spent years in rehabilitation.

He said: “For three years I didn’t have a hand, I had a claw.

“It takes an enormous amount of work. I managed over a four-and-a-half-year period to slowly get movement back in my hand.”

He spent hours re-learning touch sensations like hot and cold and retrained his fingers to remember their fine motor skills.

As his hand grew stronger, he started to train his son Matthew in the art of craftsmanship.

Mr Bellingham said working with his son has been “fantastically good fun.”

Together they have created the house of Bellingham and Bellingham, a collection of jewellery and art.

He said: “I’m very happy to say that I still can work. It takes a little longer and there are hiccups along the way because some days the pain levels are at such an intensity that it’s very difficult to work.”

Mr Bellingham said his favourite piece of work from throughout his career is a falcon he created with Matthew.

He said: “To overcome the adversity of losing the entire use of your arm and then be able to come back and make that has been extremely rewarding.

“On top of that, my son has absolutely been the best thing that could have happened to me.”

Mr Bellingham was one of the UK’s few master goldsmiths and supplied jewellery houses including Asprey, Cartier and Tiffany & Co.

His work has been compared to that of Russian goldsmith Carl Fabergé, famous for his jewelled eggs.

Pictured are Tony, left, and Matthew Bellingham