Visiting Artist

Hand-Chaser Expands on the Beauty of Silver

James E. Almeida, who is considered to be one of the foremost chasers in America today, spent a day at Cushing Academy demonstrating the art of chasing to the Cushing community. Utilizing the silver room in the Emily Fisher Landau Center for the Visual Arts, Almeida walked the audience through the intricate process of chasing while answering questions and giving students a try at the age-old technique.

Hand-chasing is a centuries old art form that involves the use of many hand made chasing chisels and hammers. These tools are used to sculpt ornamental design on the surface of silver, gold and pewter without the loss of metal. The creating of artistic designs, stencils and use of pitch to provide a resilient backing for the piece to be chased are just a few of the skills within this craft. Areas of the motif to be chased are “snarled” (raised) to give a three dimensional effect. No two chased pieces are the same. Each is an expression of the craftsman and his gifted touch since all operations are done by hand.

Hand-chasing is a specialized skill that requires an apprenticeship of four to five years. Qualities essential to hand-chasing include patience, concentration and dedication to a job, no matter how time-consuming that particular job is.

James Almeida, of Taunton, Mass., began his apprenticeship as a hand-chaser at Reed & Barton, and later served as Foreman of Chasing and then took over responsibility for the Engraving Department. Almeida, who is now retired, first learned the intricate techniques involved in hand-chasing from his father, the late Antone Almeida, whom he worked with side by side in the Chasing Room at Reed & Barton.

Decorating silver is not the only work that goes into chasing. A number of preparations must be made before the process can begin. This includes preparing pitch, that, when hardened, provides a resilient backing for the metal, and making stencils from designs. This process leaves the imprint of the design on the metal. A hand-chaser also has to create many of his own tools by hand, especially if he needs a new tool to complete a job. A veteran hand-chaser can own up to 2,000 tools before he retires. An apprentice may start with a set of 25.