Silversmith (Hollowware)
Impact: Creating silver objects of enduring beauty and significance that mark the most important occasions in institutional and personal life
Design and fabricate silver and gold hollowware including bowls, jugs, trophies, ceremonial objects, and domestic silverware using raising, sinking, and chasing techniques. Undertake commissions for livery companies, institutions, and private collectors; restore and repair antique silver for auction houses and museums; design and produce limited-edition collections; and teach silversmithing workshops. Develop proficiency in raising, planishing, chasing, repoussé, and engraving techniques.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 20% Team / 80% Solo
- Client facing
- Frequent
- Impact visibility
- Very High
- Travel
- 10-20% travel to clients and exhibitions
- Schedule flexibility
- Flexible
- Remote work
- On-site Only
- Typical work hours
- 40-52 hours/week
- Stress level
- Moderate
At a glance
- Median salary
- $52,000
- Entry-level
- $24,000 - $36,000
- Senior
- $85,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 5% (livery company, institutional, and collector markets sustaining demand)
- Demand
- Stable
- Freelance potential
- High
- Salary growth potential
- High -- 100-250% growth from apprentice to master silversmith with livery company and institutional clients
- Typical student debt
- $5,000 - $20,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Raising and sinking (hammer and stake)
- Planishing
- Chasing and repoussé
- Engraving
- Soldering and annealing
- Antique silver restoration
Soft skills
- Artistic vision
- Manual dexterity
- Historical knowledge
- Client communication
- Business acumen
Technical complexity: Very High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Certificate or Vocational Training
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 5-8 years
- Years to senior
- 10-20 years
- Career switching
- Hard
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
- Jeweller (Bench Jeweller)
- Blacksmith
Where you can go from here
- Master Silversmith
- Livery Company Specialist
Typical progression
- Apprentice
- Silversmith
- Senior Silversmith
- Master Silversmith / Livery Company Specialist
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 8% -- raising and chasing are entirely manual; some spinning and casting is used for production work
- AI disruption risk
- Very Low
- Demand trend
- Stable
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 9/10
- Meaning
- 9.5/10
- Work-life balance
- 7.5/10
- Prestige
- 8.5/10
- Social perception
- Very High