Kensington Metalsmith to Restore Historic Maryland Silver Services

Michael Schwartz, possibly the Washington area’s most highly regarded metalsmith, is working on a major project to restore and conserve a historic set of silver services originally made by Baltimore’s famed Kirk-Stieff and used on the U.S.S. Maryland, a frigate dating back to the early 1900s.

When the project is finished, the silver services, commemorating each Maryland county, will be displayed in a special room on the Senate side of the state capitol in Annapolis.

It’s just one of many significant historical restoration projects that Schwartz has undertaken at , his workshop and store on Wheatley Street.

The silver services were originally made by the Kirk Manufacturing Co. in Baltimore, later Kirk-Stieff, which for more than 100 years was one of the preeminent silversmiths in the nation. Kirk-Stieff closed its doors in Baltimore for good more than a decade ago, due to deteriorating market conditions for silverware and other factors.

“It’s an amazing set of [silver] services especially made to commemorate every Maryland county,” Schwartz said in an interview at his store recently. “It was originally commissioned by the historic preservation people in 1900 with each county having its own unique design.”

They are 30-piece silver services including such items as classic soup tureens and large punchbowls, Schwartz said. The sets include more than 150 separate bas reliefs, he noted.

“It is the best work they ever did,” he said. “It’s important for that but also important for historical purposes, as many of the images are special and unique for each county.”

For example, there are images of a historic but now long-gone railroad believed to be the first in the state, which ran from Ellicott City into downtown Baltimore, he said.

And each Maryland county has its own design and pattern.

“For example, all the counties on the Eastern Shore have oyster shells as a textured detail in the background,” Schwartz said. “The mountain counties feature oak leafs and other types of clusters.”

After 25 years as a leading Washington jeweler and metalsmith, about 11 years ago Schwartz, a native of Washington, D.C., moved his business to downtown Kensington.

Over the years, his clients have included the White House, Blair House, the National Cathedral, the National Shrine (near Catholic University), the Freer Gallery and many other prestigious outlets.

Since moving to Kensington, he has added a Creative Metalworks School of Design to the store and holds classes on an ongoing basis on all facets of metalsmithing, design and related fields.