Maxi Hänsch

I'm Maxi Hänsch, master craftswoman in electroplating and surface coating, and owner of Altonaer Silberwerkstatt in Hamburg-Altona.

In 2002 I dropped out of my economics degree – to learn this craft. My father, himself a master electroplater and master cutler, had founded Altonaer Silberwerkstatt in 1997. I wanted to learn the trade from the ground up, at the workbench, in practice. I have never regretted that decision for a single second.

In 2009 I earned my master craftsperson's certificate. A year later, my father passed away suddenly. Since then I have run the workshop on my own – with the same standards he instilled in me: care, patience, and a deep respect for what people entrust to us.

Silver has always fascinated me – not just as a material, but as something that holds memory. Silver gets buried when wars come. It gets found when peace returns. It survives centuries. A silver spoon can tell stories that no book has ever written down.

Cutlery gets passed down. Christening cups travel from generation to generation. Silver jewellery sits in a box for decades and then comes back into the light – with all the memories attached to it. How many other objects can do that? My work isn't about repairing metal. It's about keeping memories alive.

My craft specialism is electroplating – silver-plating and gold-plating surfaces. Together with our talented silversmiths, who specialise in the repair of silver objects, we can bring almost any piece back to life. What is now called surface coating was still known as electroplating when I trained – the term has changed, but the passion behind it has stayed exactly the same.

Alongside my daily work in the workshop, I'm involved in Hamburg's craft sector: as district master craftswoman of Altona and as a member of the Hamburg Chamber of Crafts Assembly. One idea is particularly close to my heart: a university degree is not the only path to a fulfilling career. I dropped out of my degree – and it was the best decision of my life. Craft means skill, responsibility, and real value creation. That deserves more recognition.

The blog articles I write here come from practice – with the aim of showing how beautiful silver is, that it can be repaired, and of course making it easier to live with. What silver can handle and what it can't. How to care for it, store it, and repair it. And why it's worth keeping things.