The North Carolina-born metalsmith Heath Wagoner went to school to be a painter but, after he took a course in metalwork, changed majors. Now 35 and based in Brooklyn, Wagoner — whose résumé includes work for the jeweller Pamela Love and the clothing brand Dion Lee — specialises in handcrafted sterling silver and brass objects for the table, from custom flatware sets to condiment spoons. Many of the pieces in his collection are inspired by the sea; his father was a fisherman and crabber, and Wagoner was once an ocean rescue lifeguard. There are sterling silver cocktail picks fashioned after an oyster shell he found on a beach and a matchbox that evokes a sardine tin. The cutlery’s geometric shapes call to mind the flatware of Alexander Calder. Wagoner says he routinely uses the pieces he makes and hopes others will, too, rather than saving them for a special occasion. “It’s not too fussy,” he says. “Bring it out for a weeknight dinner.” Prices start at $80 for a sterling silver sardine fork, heathwagoner.com.
These Holidays Gift Ocean-Inspired Tableware From a Brooklyn Silversmith
Shop sterling silver cocktail picks fashioned after oyster shells and matchboxes that evoke a sardine tin.
A sterling silver cocktail stirrer topped with a baroque pearl (left) and a three-piece sterling silver cutlery set (right), both handmade by Heath Wagoner in his Brooklyn studio. Photography Paulo Placencia. 