Silversmith

Henry Budd

No matter who wins a Logie Award, W.J. Sanders owner Dennis De Muth will be smiling. De Muth and his team of silversmiths make the TV Week Logie statuettes and he says they get a sense of satisfaction every year when the awards are presented.

“Although the Logies are relatively simple to produce, we take great pride in our work,” De Muth says.

It takes about five weeks to produce the 28 or so Logies that are given out on the night.

“First they are cast in stainless steel then there is hours of work in cleaning off imperfection in the castings,” he says.

The statuettes are then polished until their surface is mirror-like. Then they are silver-plated or 24-carat gold-plated.

Making the the Logies is only one very small part of De Muth’s business. Silversmiths work with precious metals to manufacture trophies and awards as well as restore antiques.

“Last weekend there were two big horse races, the Australian Derby and the Doncaster, and both those trophies were made by us,” he says.

Restoration work has been made easier in recent times thanks to the internet.

“If there is a part missing you can look up a similar object and find out how the part was designed and then we can replicate it,” he says.

With many of Australia’s manufacturing businesses moving off shore, De Muth says W.J.Sanders is one of the last silversmithing businesses left in the country.

De Muth says that as production is increasingly done overseas, many silversmith skills, such as metal spinning, polishing and patination are in danger of being lost in Australia. Despite the decline, he is positive about the future of the profession.

“There will always be a need for restorations and demand in the high end of the market,” De Muth says. “And because there are less silversmith skills being taught, these skills will be valuable in the future.”

* How to be a silversmith

 
Qualifications: Silversmiths usually begin their career by completing either an apprenticeship in jewellery making or metal fabrication.
Course description: As part of a jewellery apprenticeship, students are required to complete a Certificate III in Jewellery Manufacture at TAFE.
According to the TAFE website, the course emphasises design and creativity in order to meet the changing needs of society from national identity and cultural trends. Students will design and manufacture individual pieces of jewellery using a wide range of materials, techniques and procedures relevant to work in the industry.

Practical skills and operating techniques are emphasised as well as diagnostic procedures and the technical analysis and correction of faults.
Assumed knowledge: NSW School Certificate (or equivalent).
Cost: $654 per year.
From the inside: Job titles may be similar, but blacksmiths and silversmiths are very different, says the owner of W.J.Sanders, Dennis De Muth.

“A silversmith works in precious metals whereas a blacksmith usually works with iron,” he says. “A silversmith job is more closely aligned to a jeweller than a blacksmith.”
More information: www.tafensw.edu.au