Jeffrey Herman is a master silversmith and a Godsend for
anyone who’s had the misfortune of dropping or denting a piece of cherished
silver. Great silversmiths are far and few between in the 21st
century, but when the good people at Georg Jensen give you a referral, you take
it and hope the waiting list to have him work on your piece is measured in days
rather than months!
Like a fine piece of mahogany furniture, antique silver builds
up a lovely color called a patina, and if you send your dented teapot to the
jewelry guy down the block who says he can fix it, you're likely to have it
returned to you fixed, but looking brand new: 100s of years of patina gone in
one buffing!! THAT is an utter misfortune and the easiest way to knock
off, at the very minimum, 10% off the resale price of the piece.
Here’s the phoenix rising from the ashes:
This beautiful Jensen teapot had lost its wonderful original
ivory handle, but Jeffrey carved a new one and took care of the dents and
bruises to return it to its pre war luster. Jensen silver has that
wonderful hand hammering on the surface which has to be carefully handled lest
it is removed by an over zealous restorer.
I don't know what you could do to a water pitcher to have it
end up with this many dents, but again, Jeffrey has carefully removed the dents
and reshaped the piece to make it as good as new.
I would have thought that silver could withstand a terrible
fire, and I guess it does, but the difference between the pre Jeffrey work and
the post is unbelievable. I would never have thought he could restore the
piece like he has. Look at the ivory insulators in the handle: most would
use plain plastic and assume that was good enough, but Jeffrey has completely
re-carved them with the original twisted band. I also can't get over the
fact that the flowers retain the definition and contrast that only age can
build up.
And lastly, a cherished Christening cup that looks like an
elephant sat on it! And here again the work of a true master craftsman
who knows when to stop: Jeffrey noted to me that the detailing on the rim
had to be left as is because the metal was too thin to rework and could have
resulted in a tear. The last thing you want from a restorer is for your
silver to look worse than when it went in because they didn't know the limits
of their own talents.
From personal experience, I can definitely recommend
Jeffrey’s work. He has incredible skill, is easy to work with and is a true
professional. You can't trust your silver to just anyone and this is why
I’m happy to share one of my Rolodex secrets!
image credits: Jeffrey Herman, Rhode Island
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