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One of the most common questions I’m asked is surprisingly simple: “How long does it take to make one piece?” It’s a fair question, but the answer is rarely straightforward. Because a handmade object does not move through time the way a manufactured one does. Time you can measure There is, of course, the measurable time. The cutting.The forming.The annealing.The refining.The sanding.The polishing. These are the visible stages — the ones that resemble what most people imagine

Silver has always carried meaning. For centuries, it marked moments of importance—gatherings, celebrations, everyday rituals made a little more deliberate. But not all silver was meant to live behind glass. Much of it was made to be used , passed down, worn smooth by hands and time. That’s the silver I’m drawn to. Most of the vintage flatware I work with is silverplate , not sterling. That choice is intentional—not just practical, but philosophical. The dignity of silverplate

Some tools are designed to be replaced. Others are designed to outlive their makers. Impression dies fall firmly into the second category. What an impression die really is At its simplest, an impression die is a hardened steel tool used to press a pattern into metal. No electricity. No software. Just pressure, alignment, and experience. But that definition barely scratches the surface. Many impression dies were made decades ago. Some are far older—originating in workshops whe

There are easier ways to make things. Faster ways. Louder ways. Ways that rely on novelty instead of intention. But that’s never been the point here. David Koonce By Hand  exists because some materials deserve a second life—and some ways of making are worth protecting, even when they’re no longer convenient. Much of my work begins with objects that already have a history. Vintage flatware. Tools that have passed through many hands. Patterns that were designed in an era when d