Written By Melissa Reardon
Photographs By Lucy Cuneo
A transplant from Virginia, Weston “Wes” McAfee vividly remembers the first time he saw his future bride-to-be. Charleston native Dana Elaine...
Local silversmith (and bride-to-be) Kaminer Haislip has had a passion for working with silver since she took a high school industrial tech class in her hometown of Aiken. “I was the only girl in there,” she says, “but I was determined to learn how to weld and work with metal in order to pursue modern and contemporary sculpture.” After graduating, she honed her talents at Winthrop University where she earned a Masters degree in fine arts; today, she teaches at the Art Institute of Charleston. Over the years, she’s developed a signature sleek and sophisticated look as elegant and straightforward as the woman herself. “I like silversmithing,” Kaminer explains, “because it is midway between sculpture and jewelry…although my parents wanted me to make jewelry since it was more practical as a career,” she adds, laughing. Today, even though Kaminer’s repertoire spans everything from jewelry to coffeepots to even wedding cake stands (pictured with her at left), she says, “every one of my pieces has a sculptural element to it.” For her own upcoming Big Day, Kaminer has made initial-shaped cufflinks for all 12 of the men in the wedding party and is making his-and-her wedding bands, too. And not long ago, LulaKate owner Katherine Mullins McDonald’s then-fiancé commissioned a surprise wedding gift for his now-bride, a cuff based on the store’s butterfly logo. “The bracelet is beautiful,” says Katherine, “and the fact that it’s tied to the shop is so special to me. Plus, since it’s one-of-a-kind, I know no one else has it.” Besides such custom pieces, Kaminer’s other wedding projects include silver tiepins, compact mirrors, brooches, and more. For more information, visit www.kaminerhaislip.com or www.margokaufmangallery.com, or call (843) 810-8187.
