Dawn Corley, also known as The Charleston Silver Lady, is an antiques historian and expert on silver. She will have a special showing of Kaminer Haislip’s contemporary silver objects and jewelry at her Lexington, SC location on Thursday, November 21 from 4:30pm-6:30pm. In addition to Kaminer’s work, she will have on display antique objects and silver pieces from her own private collection.
The event will be hosted at 212 East Main Street, Lexington, SC 29072. Please use the side door as a private entrance. Parking is available for guests in a parking garage across the street as well as at a BB&T bank next door.
This fun holiday shopping event will be very shiny and bright!
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Helena Fox Fine Art, who represents my handcrafted silver designs in their stunning downtown Charleston art gallery, is featuring my work and the paintings of artist Julyan Davis for the Charleston Artwalk Friday, November 1 from 5-8pm. You can read the full press release for our exhibition Classically Contemporary on my website Press page.
Helena Fox Fine Art regularly carries a curated selection of my silver hollowware, flatware, home objects, and jewelry. During the artwalk and on Saturday, November 2 from 11am-4pm, a wider selection of my silver home objects and jewelry will be shown, including my new Oyster Jewelry collection. I hope to see you at one of those events!
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Gibbes Museum of Art – 135 Meeting Street – Charleston, SC
Gibbes Museum of Art Store – Exclusive Jewelry Collection
I am extremely excited to announce the Gibbes Museum of Art Store, located in historic downtown Charleston, has commissioned an exclusive jewelry collection from me! It was a wonderful compliment when the museum store curator and manager contacted me and said she was interested in a silver jewelry collection that related to an artwork in the museum. After communicating with her and visiting the museum with fresh eyes, I noticed a relationship between Patrick Dougherty’s sculpture installation Betwixt and Between and my Twisted Jewelry Series.
Betwixt and Between by Patrick Dougherty Gibbes Museum of Art 2nd Floor Atrium
My Twisted Jewelry Series was inspired by birds intertwining and weaving branches and twigs together to create their nests. Patrick Dougherty’s site-specific sculpture installation Betwixt and Between, located on the 2nd Floor Atrium, also is based on weaving branches and twigs into three dimensional forms that are held together by tension. Dougherty’s large-scale installation made with natural material occupies space the human body can walk around, through, and into. My silver jewelry is small scale in comparison and meant to be worn on the body. Our work relates to one another through process and a relationship to the human form, but varies in medium and scale, which creates a fascinating contrast.
In this silver jewelry series, I explore the action of twisting silver wire together like a bird would do with branches and twigs. I handcrafted the jewelry individually in my local, Charleston studio, so even though each piece is similar, they are not identical from the hand formed process. The tension put into the silver from the intertwining and wrapping techniques makes it very strong. Therefore, the jewelry pieces are very durable and sturdy, even though they appear delicate.
Twisted Jewelry Series is sold exclusively through the Gibbes Museum of Art Store and can only be purchased through them. Be sure to check out Patrick Dougherty’s sculpture installation while visiting the museum!
To view a wider selection of my silver jewelry and functional, home objects, visit Helena Fox Fine Art, located walking distance nearby at 106-A Church Street.
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Kaminer Haislip has two new Christmas ornament designs for Holiday 2019! Continuing her design style of the silver silhouette, a Santa Hat and Stocking have been added to her stable of Christmas ornament offerings.
Silver Christmas ornaments make a wonderful, heirloom gift that will be cherished for years to come. Many lovely memories are made around the holidays and giving lasting gifts is a great way to commemorate past years of happy, family gatherings.
Starting a baby or child on a collection of silver Christmas ornaments is an outstanding idea, because by the time they are adults with a Christmas tree of their own they will already have a stunning array of beautiful ornaments to adorn their tree with. Many of Kaminer’s clients do just that as they were gifted annually each year with a silver ornament of their own and have a deep appreciation for the quality and sweet memories each one holds.
Both the Santa Hat and Stocking can be personalized with hand engraving, as can most of her silver Christmas ornaments. Shop the entire array of festive ornaments in this website store Christmas Ornaments category.
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My silver Oyster Jewelry Series has been so incredibly popular, I have expanded the collection to include new earrings, necklaces, pendants, and bracelets. I am very excited about these new additions to my oyster jewelry line and spent a lot of time on the designs, construction methods, and wearability of each piece.
What started out as a pair of earrings for a corporate commission based on the Lowcountry oyster has developed into a full collection of original and thoughtful jewelry. When first approached with this corporate gift for a group retreat at Palmetto Bluff, I wanted to create a jewelry design that was a contemporary, abstract interpretation of a Lowcountry theme that mainly is approached literally and cliche. When I began drawing the designs, I focused on designing the oyster shape as organic with enough information it was recognizable but not so much that it was a literal regurgitation of the real form.
I choose square silver wire for the construction, because I wanted the contrast of something organically shaped with geometric material. The four sides of the wire catch the light beautifully and highlight the detailed, hand formed shape of the oyster. The smooth, high shine finish is integral to the design, because the slick surface reflects the light to emphasize the form. Each wire oyster is crafted entirely by hand, which is a labor intensive and time consuming process. The wire shapes look delicate, but in fact they are very strong and durable due to the tension put into the wire from the hand forming process.
An oyster develops characteristics unique to the waters in which they grow, a metaphor for how place can shape an artist’s work and how Charleston has influenced my artwork. The design has elegant, clean lines that are based on the exterior contour of oyster shells found in Bull’s Bay, just north of Charleston. The shape and repetition of the units in several designs reference the continuous connection to the saltwater marshes surrounding Charleston. By interpreting the form to the essential shape, I came up with a completely original and new design.
Charleston has influenced my silversmithing design of home functional objects since I moved here from Charlotte fifteen years ago. It has been a fun, out of my typical element experience to design an entire jewelry collection inspired by a Charleston theme. As I am sure you can tell, I am very excited about this body of work and hope you will be as well!
To view and Shop the entire collection, visit the Jewelry category of my online store. Thank you for your interest in my work!
Schoonhoven Silver Award 2018 Travels to Museum in Freiberg, Germany
The international silver object (no jewelry) exhibition Schoonhoven Silver Award 2018, which Kaminer Haislip’s silver vessel Gradual Erosion is included, will travel to the City and Mining Museum in Freiberg, Germany. The exhibition began at The Netherlands Silver Museum and was on exhibition from December 2018 – May 2019.
The exhibition will be on display at the City and Mining Museum in Freiberg, Germany from June 29 – October, 2019. Learn more about their showing of this exceptional exhibition on their website.
Schoonhoven Silver Award 2018 includes a wide variety of silversmiths from all over the world and its goal was to inspire artists to test and explore the boundaries of their traditional art and craft. The Netherlands Silver Museum sought objects that bear a direct relationship with the museum’s policy of stimulating the exploration of new technologies and uses, and innovative art forms. Innovation, as envisioned in the Award’s present edition, centers on the rejuvenation of past, time-honored techniques and on the preservation of this heritage through injecting dynamic new life into the art of silversmithing.
The international Schoohnoven Silver Award exhibition began in 2001 and 2018 is the seventh edition of this unique silversmithing focused exhibition. Kaminer Haislip’s silver and ebony teapot Perched Flight was included in the 2009 exhibition Poetry in Silver, so she is excited and honored to exhibit again with her new silver vessel Gradual Erosion.
Gradual Erosion is currently available for sale, but will not be available for delivery until after the exhibition travels to two other European countries and ends in September 2019. Gradual Erosion will be returned to Kaminer Haislip after the exhibition and you can contact her directly for details at kaminer@kaminerhaislip.com.
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Silver Sounding Series Tumblers by Kaminer Haislip
“Metal as a material is intrinsically linked to the history and production of utensils and implements for the home. In Appetites and Objects, designers, metalsmiths, and blacksmiths have molded, cast, forged, and pressed metal to create housewares that conform to the hand, act as an extension of the body, and hold presence in our domestic lives.
Appetites and Objects includes work by Corey Ackelmire, Jackie Andrews, Hannah Brill, Kristy Bujanic, Stuart Cairns, Jeffrey Clancy, David Clarke, David Harper Clemons, Erin Daily, Lucy Derickson, Anastasia Green, Kaminer Haislip, Nils Hint, Jessica Howerton, John Williams Huckins, Zouella Jarman, Rachel Kedinger, Elliot Keeley, Jaydan Moore, Alejandra Salinas, Amy Weiks & Gabriel Craig of Smith Shop, Brian Weissman, Adam Whitney, and Logan Woodle.”
It was such an amazing compliment to be invited to exhibit my silver pitcher and tumblers in this appropriately themed exhibit for my work. My design approach focuses very heavily on functional, home objects and our interaction with them, so I was ecstatic about the theme and how well my work fit into it. Additionally, being included in the exhibition with such a select group of talented metalsmiths is quite the honor.
The Baltimore Jewelry Center is an educational nonprofit building a vibrant creative community for the study and practice of metalworking for new and established artists. They offer classes, workshops, and studio space rental to anyone with an interest in contemporary jewelry and metalsmithing. In addition to their education program, the Baltimore Jewelry Center helps metal and jewelry artists grow sustainable business practices by offering professional development, sales opportunities, and a promotional platform. To learn more about this wonderful organization visit https://baltimorejewelrycenter.org/.
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Serving up silver spoons for this Blog post! Since silversmithing has become an obscure craft, I have decided to write a series of posts that feature various traditional silversmithing processes I use to create my silver designs. As often as I am asked how I make my pieces, I have come to realize how little most people know about silversmithing. I took my first jewelry and silversmithing course over twenty years ago, so it has become extremely normal to me since I have done it practically every day since then!
The majority of the time, people only see my finished works and not the process, so they have no idea the amount of time, labor and skill that goes into making them. Through sharing some of my silversmithing techniques, I hope to give some insight into what it takes to craft my functional works of art.
A selection of Kaminer Haislip’s silversmithing and jewelry hammers.
My journey to becoming a silversmith began long before my first college course and you can read about my background in detail on a former Blog post titled “How did you get into silversmithing?”. During my BFA studies at Winthrop University under Alfred Ward, an internationally acclaimed English silversmith, the first functional object I made was a silver spoon with laminated ebony handle. The spoon form has much significance to my functional work and I have continued to explore it since that first creation so many years ago. To view a selection of spoons I have made over the course of my career and the aforementioned first spoon visit my website Portfolio Spoons page.
Several of Kaminer’s steel silversmithing stakes
As covered in my previous Blog post on my forged silver cheese knife, all of my objects begin as sterling silver sheet and wire. For hollowing and forming silver sheet into functional objects, I hammer it over steel stakes that are the precise curve I need for an item, such as a silver spoon. The stake is held in a sturdy steel vise as shown below.
Spoon stake in vise
I use a rawhide mallet to form the spoon bowl, because it does not stretch the silver or leave marks in the surface.
Silver spoon bowl being formed over steel stake
Once the spoon bowl shape is formed, I planish it with a steel hammer to set the form precisely and work harden the metal, so it has strength when used to serve food.
Silversmith Kaminer Haislip planishing the silver spoon bowl.
With the planishing technique I use small, light overlapping blows as shown up close below.
Overlapping planishing hammer marks on the silver surface
The planishing process is one of my favorite silversmithing techniques! It requires focus, rhythm, and precision to hammer around and around consistently over the entire surface. I really enjoy planishing my silver spoons, but a coffeepot or teapot is an extensive challenge that I so revel in!
The two spoons highlighted in this Blog post are from my Flight of Fancy Series in which the handle design was inspired by the shape of a bird’s wing. The serving spoon (first image) has a traditional serving spoon length handle, but the Charleston Rice Spoon has a longer handle. The silver Charleston Rice Spoon, derived from the English Stuffing Spoon, historically had a long handle. During the 18th and 19th centuries rice was an immensely important crop to Charleston’s economy and the rice spoon was created due to it. My contemporary design is based on the historic form and gives a nod to tradition while still looking forward.
Both spoon styles are very popular wedding gifts, so be sure to check them out in my website Shop Home category. A handcrafted silver spoon certainly serves a purpose when stylishly entertaining!
Kaminer Haislip’s silver jewelry and home objects displayed at a Kiawah Island residence
Private Trunk Show
Recently for several exclusive groups I have done a private trunk show, so I decided to highlight one I did last week at a Kiawah Island, SC residence on my website Blog. I was invited to display for sale my handcrafted silver jewelry and functional home objects in the stunning home featured in these pictures. It was the perfect clean, contemporary setting for my silver pieces!
Kaminer Haislip’s silver functional home objects displayed in the kitchen of the Kiawah Island home
The group who invited me to do the unique presentation asked me to set up my silver designs throughout the gorgeous dining, living, and kitchen spaces. They loved seeing my jewelry and functional objects in this elegant home setting and my design aesthetic harmonized wonderfully with it.
The guests were able to peruse my work, discuss it and my handcrafted process with me during the event. As I do with most of my lectures, I brought a selection of my tools and silver works in progress to illustrate how I create my pieces from silver sheet and wire. The majority of the time, people only see the end product, so by incorporating the tools and in process pieces, I add an educational component to my presentations. They very much enjoyed seeing the works in progress along side the finished items!
The home overlooks a gorgeous lagoon you can see from the expansive window views, open floor plan, and porches. The immense amount of light coming in through the numerous windows created a lovely illumination over my display and made my silver pieces really sparkle!
I very much enjoy sharing my silversmithing work and doing a private trunk show. I welcome inquiries on how to bring my silver presentation to your special group, so please feel free to email me at kaminer@kaminerhaislip.com for details and fees. Thank you for your interest in my work!
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I am constantly asked how I make my silver pieces, so I am highlighting some of my processes on my website Blog to give insight into my handcrafted techniques. All of my designs are created with sterling silver sheet and wire through skilled fabrication techniques. Each object is made individually by my hands and I do not use casting or other mass manufacturing processes. For this blog post, my forged silver cheese knife illustrates one way I use forging in my silversmithing work.
Forging is a traditional metalsmithing technique that moves the metal by hammering the surface, and I mainly use this on flatware and utensils, because it gives the silver immense strength. Using a heavy hammer, forging stretches the metal and creates tension and toughness at the molecular level. Durability is of the upmost importance for functional objects and silver gains enough strength to hold its form precisely when work-hardened. Additionally, silver’s natural antiseptic properties make it the ideal medium for flatware and serving utensils.
I begin my cheese knife by forging the shape from thick, solid sterling silver sheet. The blank begins smaller than the final form because it enlarges and expands during the hammering process on the dense steel block.
Next, I work the blade with a large planishing hammer to smooth the deep forging marks out of it and further refine the shape.
The hammer marks are then removed and the blade edge is honed razor sharp so that it will slice easily and work effectively. Finally, the entire knife is brought to a high shine on the polishing machine.
Polishing is another highly skilled process I will discuss in a future Blog post, so stay tuned.
My silver spreader is made the same way, so check out that piece in my website Shop as well!
For more information on how I handcraft my designs, visit the Handcrafted Process page on my website. Thank you for your interest in my silversmithing work!
