A sterling silver, hand wrought, small bowl. This beautiful study of a bowl is simple, elegant and beautiful hand made. These works of art represent the most high quality, hand-wrought silversmithing by one of America's most talented and sought-after silversmiths; Kalo Shop. This bowl is perfect for a coffee table, or side table.

The Kalo Shop was founded in 1900 in Chicago by 32-year old Clara P. Barck.   From a January, 1901 article in the Chicago Daily Tribune:

 "The Kalo company is the latest group to be formed.  It is composed of six young women, Bertha Hall, Rose Dolese, Grace Gerow, Clara P. Barck, Ruth Raymond, and Bessie McNeal, and their company name is taken from a Greek word meaning "to make beautiful."  They are all graduates of the designers' course at the Art Institute, and besides designing for wall decoration, produce articles in burnt wood and decorated leather.  The workshop of the Kalo company is in the Bank of Commerce Building."

More than any other American workshop, the Kalo Shop defined the art of handwrought silver. Founded at the turn of the century by Clara Barck Welles, Kalo was not simply a silversmith’s studio, but a movement—an ambitious enterprise that shaped taste, trained generations of craftsmen, and left behind objects whose quiet elegance still feels modern today.

From its beginnings in Park Ridge in 1900, Welles’ vision was expansive. While others operated modest boutiques, she imagined a true workshop community, employing over two dozen silversmiths at its height. Women designers—the famed “Kalo Girls”—conceived the forms, while Scandinavian artisans brought them to life at the forge. The result was work that was at once simple, sculptural, and enduringly refined.

The shop weathered both war and depression, supported by a loyal clientele who prized its timeless silver and gold. Though Welles retired in 1939, her motto—“Beautiful, Useful, Enduring”—remained the guiding principle as her craftsmen carried the torch until the doors finally closed in 1970.

Today, Kalo pieces—whether a rare early copper vessel, a striking piece of gold jewelry, or the flowing silver hollowware that became its signature—stand as icons of American Arts & Crafts design, bridging artistry, utility, and lasting beauty. It is also striking to note that the workshop was set up exclusively by women. This is very striking at a time when women were not encouraged ro work, and metal work was often the occupation solely of men.

One can see all of the hand struck hammer marks taken to meticulously hand shape this beautiful work of art.  It is easy, when looking at silver pieces such as these to imagine that they were stamped out. So many items of silver during the twentieth century were made this way. Hand-made pieces of art like this are wrought from meticulous shaping and hammering from sheets of flat silver.  It is a labour of love and a skill that very few posses today.  

The base of the bowl is stamped 'HAND BEATEN AT KALO SHOPS PARK RIDGE ILL. along with "STERLING.' and the unique product reference number. There is an initial "C" hand cut and soldered onto one side of the bowl in an Art Nouveau font.

The bowl is presented in superb condition. A unique piece of American silversmithing from a ground breaking exceedingly talented collective of pioneering women.

Made in America, circa 1920's.