This Collection of modern silver was commissioned by The Incorporation of Goldsmiths and is now owned by the Scottish Goldsmiths Trust.It is on permanent loan to Scotland's First Minister to promote the quality of craftsmanship, and confidence in Scotland today.

The Rt. Hon. Henry McLeish, First Minister, was presented with the finished collection in June 2001 and he said "It is a great honour to receive such a prestigious collection on behalf of Scotland and future First Ministers". Made to coincide with the return of a Parliament to Scotland after 300 years, it has been described as the most exciting collection of contemporary "working" silver portraying the definitive statement of silversmithing in Scotland at the beginning of the 21st Century.

The Collection has been made by fifteen of Scotland's top Silversmiths and is used in Bute House, the official Edinburgh residence of the First Minister, where it is enjoyed by visiting Heads of State, political leaders and guests from around the world. Each piece bears the special commemorative Millennium hallmark which could only be applied during the years 1999 and 2000.

During Parliamentary recesses, the Collection is exhibited both at home and abroad:

August 2001 National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh

July-August 2002 Aberdeen Art Gallery

February-March 2003 Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris

July-August 2004 McLellan Galleries, Glasgow

October-November 2004 Hergetova Cihelna, Prague, where the Collection was the centre of The Lion's Roar, an exhibition of dazzling contemporary and significant historical Scottish silver

July-August 2006 Koldinghus, Denmark

In 2007-8, The Millennium Collection is being exhibited around the world as part of the
Silver of the Stars tour.