Mother Earth is a sterling silver sculpture my client Jim Johnson of New Castle, Delaware custom commissioned. Jim has commissioned numerous projects from me over the years and came to me with the idea for Mother Earth. It was inspired by an idea his late twin brother, who was an artist and welder, had years ago. The concept for Mother Earth was based on the idea all life originates from planet Earth. Jim wanted to honor his brother with this sculpture and he was very specific about the design down to every last detail. Based on his description of it from conversations and design sessions we had together, I drew the sculpture to scale of the actual object. After receiving Jim’s feedback and tweaking the design until it was exactly what he had in mind, I set about making it.
Mother Earth is one of the most complex objects I have ever made and required many different technical processes. The 8″ diameter globe element was fabricated with silver wire for the longitude lines and silver sheet for the hand pierced continents. The waterspout and baby were both carved from wax and sent to a high quality casting company in North Carolina. The company made molds of each and cast them in sterling silver. The umbilical cord was made from silver wire and connects to the back of North America where Delaware is located. The finial on top was fabricated with silver sheet and hand engraved with the title Mother Earth on both sides of the sign. The entire sculpture was hand polished to a high shine, mirror finish.
This project required an immense amount of problem solving and was very time consuming to make, but I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge. Working with Jim on this special project was a great experience and I sent him regular progress reports with images of the sculpture in process. It truly was a collaborative project and I appreciated his thoughtful feedback each step of the way. When I delivered it to him and he got the see it in person for the first time, to my delight, he was thrilled!
If you are interested in commissioning a custom object or jewelry piece from me, then please check out my website Commission page that has examples of drawings and finished pieces. My Commission Policy outlines the details of commissioning me to make something unique and special for you. Thank you for your interest in my work!
Custom Christmas ornaments are a wonderful heirloom gift that will be cherished and enjoyed for many holidays to come. Not only is a sterling silver Christmas ornament a lasting, quality present, but it is an extremely memorable one. These beauties sparkle and shine with merriment on the Christmas tree and embody the holiday spirit.
The process of etching a textured design into sterling silver has been an integral aspect of my artwork over the years and one fun application of the technique has been for custom Christmas ornament designs. I get so many inquiries about the process and options, so I decided to highlight a couple of past designs and describe the handcrafted technique.
Hand painting and drawing the design onto the silver
First, I hand draw the design in my sketchbook and use it for reference to draw onto the silver shape, which I hand cut from sheet silver. The next step is to paint a black tar like substance called resist over the areas I want to remain smooth. The resist protects the silver surface from the acid etching chemical. The resist can be messy, so I refine the details and lines with a steel pencil as shown in the image above. Once the design is completed, it is submerged in the acid, which eats into the silver surface and creates texture in the exposed silver areas.
Jack & Ginger Etched Silver Christmas Ornament
After the silver is polished to a high shine, the textured design and lines contrast beautifully with the smooth surface. The amount of detail and refinement that can be achieved with the process is quite significant!
Old Exchange Building Etched Silver Christmas Ornament
I have been commissioned to create a wide variety of etched Christmas ornaments and the possibilities are endless for design options. Some past projects include buildings, houses, a lighthouse, and even a private plane! Shown above is the historic Old Exchange Building in downtown Charleston, which was very detailed with the number of straight lines and architectural embellishments. To view more of my original Christmas ornament designs, view the Christmas Ornaments page in my website Portfolio Archive.
I welcome you to get in touch with your own idea for a custom Christmas ornament! I so enjoy those projects and it is always exciting to see what new, creative concept someone will bring to me. Custom commission information can be found on my website Commission Work page and details on how to commission your own design is posted on the Commission Policy page.
The Jack & Ginger ornament I created last year for a very special person inspired my 2020 Christmas ornaments…..coming soon!!
Photo credit: Joanna Hamilton of JLHamilton Photography
Church Communion Tray Commission
In October 2019 the silver communion tray pictured above was dedicated to First Presbyterian Church in Aiken, SC. The entire process from designing it to making it to the dedication was a great experience I so enjoyed! This Blog post highlights this very special commission project for a church my family has been members of for four generations.
Photo credit: Joanna Hamilton of JLHamilton Photography
The church contacted me in the spring of 2019 and asked if I could make a custom, silver communion tray for them. The current tray they were using was not the right size or shape for the communion bread loaf, so they needed a more appropriate, oval shaped tray. During the communion ceremony the church also uses a silver chalice and flagon, or pitcher, both shown above, as well as small round silver bread trays to pass the bread throughout the congregation. All contributed to the design elements incorporated into the tray.
I worked very closely with the church’s committee on the design and met with them to discuss the project in depth and look at the existing church silver together. One extremely important item was the size and shape of the bread, because it would determine those elements of the tray. I did several rounds of drawings with numerous options for them to choose from. The existing silver pieces were so gorgeous they provided a lot of beautiful design inspiration!
Top view drawing of tray by Kaminer Haislip
The drawing above was the final rendering of the top view. I also provided other renderings of additional angles of the tray and all were drawn to scale of the actual object.
Photo credit: Joanna Hamilton of JLHamilton Photography
The chalice and some of the small, round bread trays have a bead rim in their design, so that element influenced the bead rim on the tray. Both the chalice and the flagon have very curved, flared shapes as part of their surface design that include on the chalice a chased floral pattern and on the flagon around the spout, so the tray handle design is a combination of those two motifs. The tray plate has a very slight curve, so when seen from the side angle it looks like angel wings lifting up. The dimensions of the tray plate were based on the size of the bread loaf used for communion.
The chalice and flagon both have an interesting past and during the Civil War they were hidden from the Union soldiers in a cistern. During both the Revolutionary War and Civil War, silver was frequently plundered from churches and private residences. Now it is not uncommon for historic silver pieces from the American South to show up in auctions in the American Northeast and England.
The chalice was made by Rogers Brothers Manufacturing in Hartford, CT between the dates of 1853-1861 and has the date 1856 hand engraved on the front of it. The flagon was made by Reed & Barton in Taunton, Massachusetts with the date unknown. Reed & Barton was founded in 1824 by silversmiths Henry Reed and Charles Barton, so we know if was made after 1824. I am still researching what the numbers stamped on the bottom mean and likely they hold the key to the date it was made.
Once the design was finalized and agreed upon, I created the tray out of sterling silver sheet and wire. It was an extremely challenging piece to make! The dimensions are 15.5″ length by 9″ width, so it is a very large and heavy object. The shape and curve to the tray plate required a lot of attention to detail and many rounds of hammering to get it in the correct shallow curve. The bead rim was a careful application on top of the flat, rectangular rim. In order for the slightly curved tray to stay stationary on the alter, I added a silver foot. The handles were the finishing touch to a very complex design.
The interior and exterior of the tray has a high shine, mirror finish, which to achieve over that large of a surface required many, many hours of sanding and polishing. The end result is stunning and worth every minute of time!
Photo credit: Joanna Hamilton of JLHamilton Photography
The perfect finishing touch was the gorgeous hand engraving on the back done by the very talented Kristina McClure, the only hand engraver in Charleston.
Photo credit: Joanna Hamilton of JLHamilton Photography
Photo credit: Joanna Hamilton of JLHamilton Photography
The inscription commemorates the dedication of the tray in celebration of First Presbyterian Church being located on Barnwell Avenue in Aiken, SC for fifty years. The worship service on October 27, 2019 was the church’s Jubilee celebration and the tray was dedicated then. It was a lovely service and a special day enjoyed by many. It was an honor to have created this silver tray to commemorate this momentous occasion. I love the idea that it will be used and enjoyed for many generations past mine and likely by my future family members.
Hand engraving by Kristina McClure
Hand engraving by Kristina McClure
If you are interested in commissioning a custom object or jewelry piece from me, then please check out my website Commission page that has examples of drawings and finished pieces. My Commission Policy outlines the details of commissioning me to make something unique and special for you. Thank you for your interest in my work!
Processional Torches by Kaminer Haislip in silver, brass, and black walnut by Moran Woodworked Furniture Photography by Jack Alterman
Processional Torch Commission
Kaminer Haislip designed and created this processional torch commission in collaboration with Michael James Moran and Celia Gibson of Moran Woodworked Furniture. A group of St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church patrons contacted Kaminer to commission these custom processional torches in memory of Bishop Daly Pope Garnett. Bishop was a dear friend to Kaminer and her brother Wylie’s lifelong best friend, so this project meant a lot and she was committed to making it exceptional. When the wood components were considered during the early design stages, Kaminer knew who to call to collaborate with on that crucial element. She had collaborated with Michael and Celia on numerous occasions before and knew they had an eye and mind for the aesthetic and technical challenges that lay ahead on this complex project.
Silver and brass candleholder for processional torch by Kaminer Haislip with black walnut stem by Moran Woodworked Furniture Hand Engraving by Kristina McClure Photography by Jack Alterman
The design for the custom processional torches began with looking at the church’s existing collection of ceremonial objects and torches, so the new, handcrafted torches would be unified in the environment. Measurements were taken of existing torches and Kaminer, Micheal, and Celia considered the ergonomics when finalizing the dimensions, since these torches were intended for the youth church members to carry. The silver and brass candleholder was inspired by a previous silver candlestick Kaminer had created, but reimagined with a smooth, round dish referencing angel wings. Due to the slight tilt in each silver dish, when the two are placed together (see first image above) they symbolize angel wings soaring high.
The brass cylinder of the candleholder was beautifully hand engraved by the talented Kristina McClure, who does all of Kaminer’s hand engraving. The inscription credits Bishop’s mother’s afternoon tea group as “The Teabags” for their generous donation of the processional torches to St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church.
Silver and brass candleholder for processional torch by Kaminer Haislip with black walnut stem by Moran Woodworked Furniture Hand Engraving by Kristina McClure Photography by Jack Alterman
The black walnut too has special meaning and contributed immensely to this incredibly well thought out and meaningful project. Michael and Celia wrote:
“These pieces of Black Walnut came from one specific tree blown down by a storm on a friend’s cattle farm in Central Kentucky, close to where Michael grew up. We worked closely with Jim (the farmer) and his wife Deb to save as much of this tree and a handful of others trees befallen by similar circumstances. We spent seven days at the farm cutting/moving/milling trees into logs and then into boards. Next, we stacked all of the wood to dry for a year in a nearby barn then transferred to a kiln to finish drying. Each step of this long process we put our hands on every board, with care and concern for its well being and future. To date we’ve built many pieces from these trees that have found themselves all over the US, in homes, places of work, and now a place of worship.”
Brass and silver foot for processional torch by Kaminer Haislip with black walnut base by Moran Woodworked Furniture Photography by Jack Alterman
The base for each torch was created in brass, silver, and black walnut to harmonize with the torch design through the repetition of material and form. The hammering, raising, and forming of the heavy 10″ diameter brass dome was a physical and technical challenge for Kaminer, because brass is much harder than silver and not conducive to raising. She applied her traditional silversmithing training to it and was able to make not one, but two that are identical in shape and size. Her arms were ringing for days after the final planishing!
Processional torches at St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church in Aiken, SC
The numerous right angles in all components of the torches was also a very difficult technical challenge. Each part when put together has to fit and stand up at a perfect right angle and they had to be the exact same height for the dishes to match up, so attention to detail was of the upmost importance. The candleholder, stem, and base components all come apart for easy cleaning, polishing, and future repair if needed. Kaminer, Michael, and Celia thought through carefully how all the elements would work together not only aesthetically, but also technically.
The end result is not only stunning visually, but includes symbolic significance to commemorate and celebrate the life of an incredible individual, Bishop Daly Pope Garnett, in a church he loved dearly.
Bishop Daly Pope Garnett with his wife Katie, daughter Graceyn, and son Thaddeus
50th Wedding Anniversary Gift Commission – Custom Jewelry Collection
Recently I had the pleasure of working with a gentleman on a custom jewelry collection as a 50th wedding anniversary gift for his wife. The traditional gift to commemorate a 50th wedding anniversary is gold, so this jewelry collection consisting of a cuff bracelet, pendant necklace, and set of post earrings was made from 14k yellow gold. The concept for the Interlocking Jewelry Collection was inspired by two wedding bands interlocking and overlapping with open space between the two rings. The shape of the gold wire is a slight half round shape that I formed to look like their gold wedding bands.
In addition to hand drawn renderings, I also created prototypes to work out the forms in copper wire before moving on to the precious metal gold. I emailed my client the drawings and prototypes and we worked together closely over the course of several months to develop this exclusive collection for his special wife. The amount of thought and detail he put into it was very sweet and I thoroughly enjoyed working with him to develop this unique jewelry collection!
For more examples of my custom commission projects and how to commission me to create a custom design for you, please visit my website Commission page.
https://www.kaminerhaislip.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/logo-silver-jewelry-kaminer-haislip-340x156-VERDANA-1.jpg00adminhttps://www.kaminerhaislip.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/logo-silver-jewelry-kaminer-haislip-340x156-VERDANA-1.jpgadmin2018-07-16 23:15:182018-07-16 23:15:1850th Wedding Anniversary Gift Commission
Kaminer Haislip offers services for corporate gift commissions that include custom designed jewelry and silver products. A recent custom corporate gift that is featured on this post was commissioned for a company retreat held at the resort Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, SC.
Kaminer was inspired by the shape of a Lowcountry oyster shell and designed these silver Oyster Earrings and Oyster Dish specially for the group in attendance. The ladies were given the silver earrings and the men the silver dish as the company retreat gift.
Additional previous corporate gift commissions include silver condiment spoons for the ladies and silver bar or cocktail spoons for the men, custom designed Christmas ornaments, and cufflinks.
Visit the Commission page on this website to find out how to commission Kaminer to design and create a unique gift for your company or corporation!
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Jack & Ginger Etched Silver Christmas Ornament
Hand painting and drawing the design onto the silver
