Artemis Grille for sale

[Jay]

I don't normally post eBay auctions, but I've purchased from this seller before (a beautiful sterling silver absinthe spoon), and he offered me a chance to buy an Artemis grille made by Kirk Burkett. I declined, as I was not in the market for this particular piece, so he put it up on eBay, and for what appears to be a very fair price. Here's the link for anyone who is interested.

[Derrick]

I've always found Kirk's pieces to be horribly overpriced.

[Jay]

I've always found Kirk's pieces to be horribly overpriced.

 

 

There aren't a whole lot of other sterling silver absinthe accessories to compare them to, but it's true that what few I've seen online tend to be perhaps one third less expensive. That being said, those pieces tended to be more utilitarian and less artistically "involved", so the price-to-value ratio is largely subjective.

 

This particular grille was originally sold for $150 (per an old web page I found), which is why I characterized the price as fair.

[Absomphe]

I've always found Kirk's pieces to be horribly overpriced.

 

Ah, but if you deal with him o a personal level, he's very amenable to barter, which is a whole different kettle of fish.

 

Besides, his castings are exquisite, and certainly head and shoulders above most any absinthe revival paraphernalia out there.

[Wild Bill Turkey]

There aren't a whole lot of other sterling silver absinthe accessories to compare them to, but it's true that what few I've seen online tend to be perhaps one third less expensive.

What other solid silver pieces have you seen? I've seen several reproduction pieces done in silver plate. These are original hand-cast works of art made by an absintheur, not commissioned by a marketing team.

 

They're expensive, but for what they are, certainly not "horribly overpriced". Anyone who thinks they are should look into artist-crafted pieces out in the real world.

[Zman (Marc Bernhard)]

Yep, I agree with you Bill. I have all the KB pieces. Definitely works of art, especially the elephant.

[Clement Arnoux (Aggelos)]

Ditto, got the artemisia spoon, it's a very original and beautifully crafted piece The only "modern" spoon I am proud of.

 

Please consider that each spoon is hand-crafted, and it takes Kirk several hours per spoon (or so I've heard, but I may be wrong)

 

There are also behind each design hours of conception, research etc. Hell, we he re-produced the Frenay leaf, he also provided an important contribution to the knowledge of spoons crafting (till then, we thought all absinthe spoon used to be made in one piece, he prove it to be false)

 

What other solid silver pieces have you seen

Well there used to be tempus fugit spoons, which had the same price tag as far as I recall, and some of them (thinking of a skull and bones design) were ugly as hell

[absinthejack]

Here's a spoon/grille that my good friend Chris Olson (Master Designer for Molina Fine Jewelry) came up with. It's his own design and he produced it out of 3 ounces of solid silver. It has a reccesed sugar cube holder which results in the sugar being more thoroughly dissolved, leaving less in the bottom of the glass.

Edited April 1, 2010 by absinthejack

[Joe Legate]

That's very beautiful.

Does it stir well?

[absinthejack]

No, that's the one drawback. Too wide to fit down in the glass for stirring.

[Wild Bill Turkey]

I'd consider it more a grille than a spoon, in which case it isn't really expected to do any stirring. It's a pretty design, and obviously an original re-thinking of the grille/spoon concept. I'm always happy to see new interpretations. What's funny to me is that in contrast to the clean, measured curves and precise detailing of the cast parts of the piece, the holes in the bottom of the drainage cup looked like they were poked into the metal with a pushpin while the artist was in the back seat of a Jeep.

[absinthejack]

Nah, it was a ten year old Volvo.

[OMG_Bill]

That's a very nice grill. Pretty and functional.

[Clement Arnoux (Aggelos)]

me likey

 

Damn, that's the second magnificent artisanal spoon I've seen today. Crafters sure have imagination !

[techdiver]

Nice concept. I'd go for one. A depression with small holes would work out well for those of us using the Splenda tabs since they're easily washed through the spoon.

[kaseijin]

I don't find Kirk's pieces to be overpriced at all, given the craftsmanship involved. I confess that I do not yet own any, but you can bet that if I had the spare coin to drop, I would happily purchase them all. They are fairly priced and the purchase helps to support an independent artisan, which always makes me feel good.

 

His artimisia spoon is a thing of rare beauty.

[Brian Robinson]

The sterling silver spoons I've bought from other silversmiths were significantly more expensive, so I don't find his overpriced at all.

[Jay]

What other solid silver pieces have you seen?

 

 

In addition to the Tempis Fugit spoons Aggelos mentioned, there is one that used to be offered on the La Fee website for £65. Aside from those, I found one made by a silversmith here in Portland (and listed on Etsy) for $165, and I recently bought a limited-edition 950 sterling silver one made by Sandra Jordan that is similar to the silverplate Petaluma spoon found here. The silverplate one is $55, and I paid $135 for the solid silver.

[Brian Robinson]

[absinthejack]

Beautiful spoons, BR. I agree 100% about them not being overpriced. When Chris's grille becomes available to the public the price will be around what Kirk is asking for his. Well worth the price when you consider the workmanship, time, and talent that went in to making them.