National Silver Day
A day full of shine!
On Monday, May 20, 2024, Whit Monday, we’re celebrating: the National Silver Day! The whole of Schoonhoven is, even more than usual, all about silver. Check out the work of Schoonhoven gold- and silversmiths in the city center and of course, don’t forget to take a look inside the museum!
For the National Silver Day, there’s a special entrance fee of 7.50 euros. Take a stroll through our Museumshop, book a workshop, get your jewellery appraised, pay a visit to our Silver Forge or immerse yourself in our temporary exhibits.
This year, a challenging Silver and Junior Challenge is once again available for all experienced and young gold- and silversmiths with the theme: rhythm. Are you joining too? More information about the challenges can be found on this page.
Image: RTV Krimpenerwaard
For all gold- and silversmiths
Silver Challenge
The registrations for the Silver Challenge are open again. Attention gold- and silversmiths because this is your chance to win great prizes and fame. Like every year, the participating works are exhibited during National Silver Day. The public and a professional jury can vote for their favorite work.
This year the challenge is all about rhythm, which refers to repetition, patterns, and regularity. Rhythm can be found in everything, art, architecture, music, dance, poetry and so on in everyday life. Got inspired?
Special Silver Day workshop
Make a pearl pendant
Do you not only want to see the work of gold- and silversmiths, but also make something yourself? That is possible! With our workshop you can easily make a nice pearl pendant that will adorn you all day long.
On the National Silver Day, an experienced smith will be available in our Silver Work Shop to provide the workshop. In addition to a valid entrance fee, the workshop costs 7.50 euros and is suitable for ages 16 or higher. The workshops can be visited continuously from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM and again after a short break from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM.
Buy a ticket in advance at the counter downstairs to ensure yourself a spot. Be aware of the limited amount of tickets available. Sold out = sold out.
Discover, cut and colour
For the children
Children can also experience the smith’s craftsmanship. With the Silversmith treasure hunt for one day, children get to experience the craft themselves and go home with a self-made key ring, ring or necklace. Even the little ones aged 2 years and over (under the supervision of a parent/guardian) can get started decorating their own farm animal.
Or complete Helene Kröller-Müller’s treasure hunt. The treasure hunt is filled with activities! Decorate your own wooden cutlery, make a new block pattern and create your own menu card holder in the Silver Work Shop.
The treasure hunts cost 5.50 euros, including the material for the piece of work. Would you rather just seperately make something? You can do that for 3.50 euros. For sale at the counter.
Pay a visit
to our Silver Forge
The Silver Day can’t go without a visit to our Silver Forge. Witness the craftmanship from up close and directly get in contact with a few gold- and silversmiths of our Silver Forge. Got any pressing questions on for example the craft or their work? Feel free to ask them!
Access the Silver Forge for free during the National Silver Day. Various gold- and silversmiths, each with their own style, exhibit and also sell their work. For example, have you already seen the new jewelry made from expired Museum Cards by Esmee Muijlwijk? Or the fine filigree of Cor Kuijf? It is definitely worth a visit!
Image: Esmee Muijlwijk behind the workbench
Design 1: Esmee Muijlwijk; Design 2: Iris Nieuwenburg; Design 3: Sophia Zobel
Pop-up exhibit Silver Forge
City Pearls
During Silver Day you can view the exclusive pop-up exhibition City Pearls in the Silver Forge. A variety of 8 Rotterdam artists (trained at the Vakschool) exhibit a complete picture of modern jewelry.
The exhibition brings together the creative vision of these 8 jewelry designers. So don’t miss out on this special occassion, and visit this exhibition in which you can admire both autonomous and artisanal work in various styles and materials.
Also get to know the smiths of the collective face-to-face, such as Esmee Muijlwijk.
What do you have of value?
Have it appraised!
During National Silver Day, appraiser and gemologist George Hamel will be ready to appraise your jewellery. Have you just bought something or do you have something that has been lying around for a while and are you curious about the value and story of the piece of jewellery? Don’t question it any longer by taking it to the Dutch Silver Museum and have George Hamel examine it.
The appraisals are free and will be performed on the ground floor of the museum. A maximum of 3 pieces of jewellery can be valued per person.
Image: appraiser & gemologist George Hamel
Visit the Museum
Temporary exhibits
In addition to our permanent collection, there are also two temporary exhibitions to admire. In the exhibition ‘At the table with Helene Krüller-Müller’ you, as a visitor, imagine yourself in the Hunting Lodge Sint Hubertus on ‘De Hoge Veluwe’ and the associated silverware. You will also discover the influence of their relationship on the design of the Hunting Lodge and the silverware through the letters between the client and the artists.
We are celebrating in the Dutch Silver Museum, because with the exhibition ‘A Jewel of a Feast’, Anke Akerboom is showing a rich retrospective of her innovative work. Discover how Anke turns seemingly worthless material into a valuable and circular piece of jewelry.