Many thanks to Charleston Magazine for highlighting my sterling silver Palmetto Cuff Bracelet in their September feature A Half Century of Treasures! It is an incredible honor to be included with my gallery representative Helena Fox Fine Art in this special milestone piece.
We recently connected with Kaminer Haislip and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kaminer, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Originally from Aiken, South Carolina, I grew up in my family’s hardware and appliance business. This experience directly influenced my interest in creating three-dimensional objects and working with my hands. During high school I became enthusiastic about sculpture and jewelry, so I enrolled in the industrial tech class and learned to weld.
I attended Winthrop University for my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jewelry and Metals and Master of Fine Arts in Silversmithing and Design with a minor in Sculpture. For both of my degrees I studied under Alfred Ward, an internationally acclaimed English silversmith from London. Alf introduced me to crafting functional silver objects, which was the perfect combination of my interest in jewelry and sculpture. When I graduated in 2005, I moved to Charleston, South Carolina and established my silversmithing studio and business.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I design and create all of my original, handcrafted silver designs utilizing techniques that have been used for centuries. Inspired by Charleston’s extensive silversmithing tradition, I am dedicated to carrying forth that legacy. In addition to my work as an artist, I am frequently commissioned by individuals to create unique objects and jewelry in silver and gold.
My artwork has been exhibited internationally and nationally, featured in over sixty publications, including Silver Magazine, Metalsmith, The Magazine Antiques, Traditional Home, Elle Décor, Garden & Gun, Southern Living, Charleston Magazine, Charleston Weddings, and on the TV show Handcrafted America. I was honored with the Made in the South Award in the Home category from Garden & Gun magazine and with The Eric Berg Prize for Excellence in Metal at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show. Additionally, Historic Charleston Foundation honored me with the Samuel Gaillard Stoney Conservation Craftsmanship Award. Finally, I collaborated with Reese Witherspoon’s Southern lifestyle company Draper James on an exclusive silver bowl and The Charleston Museum acquired my silver Charleston Rice Spoon for their permanent collection.
I am excited to present a silver lecture at the South Carolina State Library in Columbia, SC on Thursday, August 7, 2025 at 6:00pm. I will discuss historic Charleston silversmithing and how it relates to my contemporary silver designs. Additionally, I will display a selection of my silver functional home objects and jewelry and attendees will have an opportunity to purchase items.
This fall I have an exhibition and several holiday trunk shows coming up, so check my website Blog for those details coming soon.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Throughout my journey as a silversmith, the three qualities that have impacted my career the most are a strong work ethic, discipline to put in the long hours required to develop the extremely technical skills of a silversmith, and sound business practice. You must be a creative designer, willing to work hard, and tenacious to earn a living as a silversmith. Also, it is imperative that you know how to run a business and understand the precious metals market.
My best advice to people who are early in their careers is, there is no shortcut to experience! Being a successful artist no matter your medium takes time, dedication, and ambition. It is very difficult to make a living as an artist, so you must have good business and practical skills as well as original designs.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
The American College of the Building Arts in Charleston, South Carolina, where I teach an elective metalsmithing and jewelry class, purchased many of the tools and equipment from my late professor Alfred Ward’s estate. One of those items included a Guilloche Hall Straight Line machine, made in Rhode Island in the early 20th century, so I started learning how to use it for both my artwork and to teach my students. The journey has been fascinating and sometimes frustrating as Guilloche or Engine Turning is an extremely difficult process to teach oneself. Rialto, my first Guilloche jewelry series, incorporates the skills I have developed thus far.
This past March, I traveled to Switzerland to learn Guilloche from Calina Shevlin, one of the few experts in the world that teaches it. My travel and studies were funded in part by a grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission and the American College of the Building Arts. It was an incredible experience and I learned so much in just one week. I am very excited to include the new patterns and skills Calina taught me into more jewelry designs and eventually functional home objects.
