Dave Hunter, Haida Silversmith

Dave Hunter is a talented and very friendly Haida silversmith. When he is not taking care of customers at the Raven Gallery, Dave fashions beautiful silver jewelry with engraved Haida-inspired designs. At one time, Dave also carved argillite, but he now dedicates himself to working silver.
     Dave was born in Prince Rupert, but was raised and educated in Masset, on the island of Haida Gwaii, where he continues to live and create his artwork. Gid Kweeyas, or "Precious Son", is the Haida name bestowed on Dave Hunter who is a member of the Yaghulaanas Clan of the Raven Moiety.

Here are some of Dave's silversmithing techniques:

To make a silver bracelet, the corners of a piece of sterling silver are cut off, then the edges are filed. The silver is mounted onto wood, then clamped in the jaws of a rotating vise. A design is drawn onto the silver with pencil, then the lines are engraved with a burin.


The engraved bracelet is then hammered into shape on a tool that Dave constructed. The shaped bracelet is then polished with buffing wheels and polishing compounds. The finished bracelet is then cleaned in a hot, soapy solution.

For more information about Dave or his work, you can contact him at:

Raven Gallery
Box 368, Masset
Haida Gwaii
British Columbia
Canada, VOT 1M0

Fax: (250) 626-3224
Gallery Telephone: (250) 626-3979
Home Telephone: (250) 626-3732

email Dave

LINKS:
Haida Wood Carver, Reg Davidson
Haida Argillite Carver, Myles Edgars
Haida Painter, James Sawyer
Haida Cedar Bark Hat Maker, Gladys Vandal
Metal Casters of Foumban, Cameroon, Africa
Mexican Jeweler, Francisco Garcia Guevara
Silversmithing in Andalucia, Spain
Filigree in Java, Indonesia
The Kris in Java and Bali, Indonesia

Web page, photographs, and text by Carol Ventura in 2001. Please look at Carol's home page to see more about crafts around the world.