Thank you immensely Garden & Gun Magazine for featuring my sterling silver Charleston Rice Spoon in your digital Weddings, Winter 2025 issue!
It was such an honor to be included with my gallery representative Helena Fox Fine Art in this lovely wedding registry gift guide.
Helena Fox Fine Art in historic, downtown Charleston, SC
Photograph by Marie Rodriguez Photography
They are hosting a special trunk show featuring my artwork from Saturday, November 29 – Saturday, December 6, 2025. Stop by during regular gallery hours to see a wider variety of my silver functional home objects, original jewelry designs, and Christmas ornaments than what they usually carry in the gallery.
Friday, December 5 from 5-8pm the exhibition will be part of the downtown Charleston artwalk for the month of December and we are thrilled to participate. I will be on site that night for the event to discuss my work with the guests. I hope to see you there at this festive holiday shopping event!
I am excited to be a part of “Mercury Monday,” a book signing and holiday gift fair on November 24 that will benefit Quail Forever! Now in its fourth year, it will run from 3:30pm-8:30pm and offer “full Charleston hospitality” and kick off the holiday season in style with lots of friends.
I will have my silver jewelry, functional home objects, and Christmas ornaments displayed for sale alongside a wide variety of other talented Charleston vendors. Additionally, popular local authors will be signing their books available for purchase.
If you wish to attend, you must go to the Charleston Mercury’s website and sign up to learn more about this annual community event.
Visit charlestonmercury.com
Silver and ebony teapot by Alfred D. Ward, Photography by Alexis Lorraine Howard
Corresponding to an echo as it travels (teapot II), silver and purple heart, by Kaminer Haislip, Photography by Alexis Lorraine Howard
Reception: November 13, 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Featuring work from select alumni and previous students of Alf Ward.
Coordinated by Winthrop University Galleries
https://www.winthrop.edu/cvpa/galleries/index.aspx
133 McLaurin Hall
Rock Hill, SC 29733
Kaminer Haislip and Alfred D. Ward at University of London Sir John Cass Silversmithing Studio in 2004
It truly is an honor to be invited to exhibit in Winthrop University’s exhibition Legacy of a Mentor: The Artistic Influence of Alfred D. Ward. This special exhibition will be on display from October 13 – November 15, 2025 in the Rutledge Gallery & Elizabeth Dunlap Patrick Gallery.
I studied under Alf at Winthrop for both my BFA in Jewelry and Metals and MFA in Silversmithing and Design. Alf was an internationally acclaimed British silversmith from London and I was extremely fortunate to have learned my skills from him. He had an immense impact on my life and put me on the path to where I am now.
Platinum Brooch by Alfred D. Ward
A select group of alumni that studied under Alf have been invited to participate and show artworks that relate to Alf for this commemorative exhibition. My artworks include a silver teapot (pictured above), coffeepot, cream and sugar set, and Rialto Pendant Large (pictured below).
Rialto Pendant Large by Kaminer Haislip
A catalogue about the exhibition is being published by Winthrop University Galleries and will be available for purchase through them.
I will be in attendance at the reception on Thursday, November 13 from 5:30pm-7pm and I hope to see you there!
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.
Many thanks to Charleston Magazine for featuring me as one of their Charleston Makers! To learn more about Charleston Makers and to view my video on their website, visit this link.
Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaminer Haislip.
Hi Kaminer, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
A native of 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. While earning my MFA, I interned at the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, taught the Jewelry II and III classes as well as jewelry workshops at Winthrop University. For both of my degrees I studied under Alfred Ward, an internationally acclaimed English silversmith from London.
After graduation, I moved to Charleston, South Carolina and established my studio. I design and create all of my original, handcrafted 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 work has been exhibited internationally and nationally, featured in over sixty publications including 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. I am an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the national organization has awarded me four American Heritage Competition awards for my artwork. Finally, I collaborated with Reese Witherspoon’s Southern lifestyle company Draper James on an exclusive silver bowl.
I live in downtown Charleston, South Carolina with my incredibly supportive husband Matthew Quinn and cocker spaniel Hannah.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Silver is a commodity traded on the stock exchange and its price fluctuates based on the market. When the dollar is strong, the price of silver goes down, but when the dollar is weak, the price of silver goes up. Right now the price of silver is high due to excessive government spending and the inflation it has caused. Those fluctuations can be very challenging to a small silversmithing business like mine, because I have to plan accordingly for the silver I purchase for projects and the inventory I keep in stock.
During the 2008/2009 Great Recession, which happened only three years after I started my business, the price of silver was very high. At that time, I started making more jewelry and had to get creative with the amount of silver I used in my functional home objects. Currently, I face similar challenges, but am confident the economy will improve over the next year or so and the price of silver will go back down.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Through my metalwork, I seek to enhance daily life by creating functional handcrafted objects that give a nod to the past but are entirely contemporary in form. I am inspired by the concept of enhancing domestic rituals through traditional metalworking techniques coupled with an innovative approach to design and production. Currently, I am the only practicing silversmith in Charleston and my process is directly tied to the city’s immense craft traditions. As a silversmith working in Charleston, I am carrying on the legacy of the city’s rich history by employing techniques that have been used for centuries.
In my work, art and form combine to create designs for living—the function of the object contributes to that design. In my view, functional objects have visual and conceptual relationships to art and living. The clean-lined visual aesthetic, emphasis on function, and ergonomic relationship to the human form that characterizes my work further enhances that connection. For me, using a thought inspiring yet functional teapot enhances the process of making tea. When a beautiful, well-designed object and domestic ritual are united, a connection between person and object occurs and then an appreciation of function results. In my work, I strive to make these themes evident and to encourage people to interact with form and function.
Fine craftsmanship is also an important hallmark of my hand-fabricated work. All of my objects or jewelry items begin as sheet or wire and then are manipulated utilizing traditional silversmithing techniques, such as forging, raising, and fabricating, to create the final piece. My design approach focuses on a timeless quality that is durable and lasts rather than steered by fashion or fleeting trends. My concepts vary for different series, but all of my metalwork is unified by elegant design and clean lines.
Additionally, designing and creating custom commission jewelry and objects for clients is another facet to my metalsmithing. A commission piece merges the client’s vision for a specific object with my technical and artistic ability. For me this combination is a unique approach to designing, because it creates an opportunity for my work to take a new direction.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
There is no shortcut to experience! Being a successful artist no matter your medium takes time, dedication, discipline, 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 creative, original designs.
See the full feature on South Carolina Voyager’s website at the link below.
https://southcarolinavoyager.com/interview/rising-stars-meet-kaminer-haislip-of-charleston
Corresponding to an echo as it travels, Coffeepot III by Kaminer Haislip
On Thursday, August 7, 2025 at 6pm, Charleston silversmith Kaminer Haislip will present a lecture titled Charleston Silver, Past to Present on the history of colonial Charleston silversmithing and how it relates to her contemporary silver designs at the South Carolina State Library’s South Carolina Center for the Book, located in Columbia, SC. She will also describe her handcrafted process in which she uses tools and techniques employed by silversmiths for centuries.
Additionally, she will display a selection of her silver functional home objects and jewelry and attendees will have an opportunity to purchase items.
Charleston Rice Spoon by Kaminer Haislip
Nationally recognized for her metalwork, Kaminer is the only silversmith practicing in Charleston. Inspired by Charleston’s long-standing silversmithing tradition, she feels compelled to carry it forth. Her designs have 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.
The South Carolina Silver Society, an organization of members that love the craftsmanship and history of silver, will also be present at the event with information about their organization. To learn more about them, visit their website https://southcarolinasilversociety.org/
For more details and to register for the event, visit the link below.
https://statelibrary.sc.libcal.com/event/14115312
The South Carolina State Library is located at 1500 Senate Street, Columbia, SC 29201.
https://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/
Thursday, August 7, 2025 at 6pm
Kaminer Haislip using the Guilloche machine at ACBA
American College of the Building Arts Adjunct Professor of Silversmithing Kaminer Haislip will present a lecture on Guilloche, or Engine Turning, a handcrafted process utilizing a manual machine to put engraved lines, designs, and patterns into metal. Though the technique has its roots in ancient times, the machines used today, most built before WWI, have their origins in 18th century France and Switzerland. Brought into mainstream culture by Breguet in the 18th century and Faberge in the 19th century, the decoration on silver objects, such as cigarette cases and belt buckles, was extremely popular during the 1920s Art Deco era.
ACBA recently procured a Guilloche machine from Kaminer’s late professor Alfred Ward’s estate for their small metals and jewelry studio. Kaminer has been learning to use it both to teach her students and for her own work as a designer silversmith. In March 2025, she will travel to Switzerland to take a Guilloche class with one of the few experts in the world. This lecture will highlight her journey into Guilloche, her studies in Switzerland, the techniques she learned to teach to her students, and how this new knowledge will impact her silversmithing work.
Guilloche, silver Rialto Split Pendant by Kaminer Haislip
Kaminer is a contemporary silversmith based in Charleston who teaches the Copper Metalsmithing and Jewelry elective classes at ACBA. Inspired by Charleston’s long-standing silversmithing tradition, she feels compelled to carry it forth. Her award-winning work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally and featured in over sixty publications, including on three magazine covers. Her latest honor is the acquisition of her silver Charleston Rice Spoon by The Charleston Museum for their permanent collection, commonly regarded as “America’s First Museum”.
Visit ACBA’s website to register for the lecture on Thursday, April 17, 2025 from 6pm-7:30pm at the link below.
https://acba.edu/upcoming-news-events
American College of the Building Arts
Trolley Barn Main Campus
649 Meeting Street
Charleston, SC 29403
This project is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts. This project is also funded in part by a generous award from the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of The Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina. Additionally, her research and travels are supported by the ACBA professional development fund.
Vallee de Joux, Switzerland
I am very excited to announce I have been awarded an Arts Project Support Grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission! This grant will help fund my travel to Switzerland to study Guilloche under Calina Shevlin, one of the few expert Guilloche artists in the world who do it professionally. American College of the Building Arts in Charleston, South Carolina, where I teach a metalsmithing and jewelry elective class, is also supporting my professional development, which I sincerely appreciate.
Calina Shevlin working at a Guilloche machine
Guilloche, or Engine Turning, is a handcrafted process utilizing a manual machine to put engraved lines, designs, and patterns into metal. Though the technique has its roots in ancient times, the machines used today, most built before WWI, have their origins in 18th century France and Switzerland. Brought into mainstream culture by Breguet in the 18th century and Faberge in the 19th century, the decoration on silver objects, such as cigarette cases and belt buckles, was extremely popular during the 1920s Art Deco era.
Me using the Guilloche machine at the American College of the Building Arts
Sadly, my college professor Alfred Ward, an internationally acclaimed silversmith from England, recently passed away. The American College of the Building Arts purchased many of his tools and equipment from his estate. One of those items included a Guilloche Hall Straight Line machine, made in Rhode Island in the early 20th century, so I have begun learning how to use it for both my artwork and to teach my students. The journey has been fascinating and sometimes frustrating as it is an extremely difficult process to teach oneself.
Fortunately for me, I found Calina’s book Guilloche: A History and Practical Manual online and read it to learn about Guilloche. I ultimately contacted her after I saw her class offerings on her lovely website. She has already been so kind and generous with her time and I would not have made it this far without her!
My first Guilloche sterling silver jewelry series, Rialto, incorporates the new skills I have developed.
Sterling Silver Rialto Pendant Small by Kaminer Haislip
I’m honored by the opportunity to learn Guilloche from a leading expert in the field and thank the South Carolina Arts Commission and American College of the Building Arts for supporting me in this important endeavor. I teach a jewelry elective class during the spring semester and am thrilled to bring back new skills to teach my students. I’m also eager to see the new direction my work will go in after learning more of this intricate process. My instruction will take place in March 2025, so stayed tuned for another Blog post detailing my studies then!
This project is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
This project is also funded in part by a generous award from the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of The Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina.