Michael
Izrael established Galmer Silversmiths in Long Island City, Queens NY.
After arriving in this country in 1981, Michael opened a workshop in
a garage creating silver solely for customer orders. This provided him
with the opportunity to perfect his techniques and to invent creative
and unique alternatives to silver making. Word of his quality silverware
quickly grew and soon after, a prominent retailer turned to him to create
a silver line exclusively for their firm. That led to commissions from
other retailers who recognized the limitless capabilities of
Galmer Silversmiths.
Galmer gained the utmost respect of prestigious art enterprises and
others as being a company, which can fortuitously fulfill the production
of items that encompass both excellence and quality. These prominent
companies acknowledge Galmer as one that reaches near perfection each
time. After having acquired a great deal of experience and keen sense
of artistic perception, Galmer, Ltd. Has composed its own unique line
of silver pieces with overwhelming devotion and care. Through new technology,
Galmer can make designs reminiscent of yesterday with intricate detailing
and three-dimensional designs. Galmer Silversmiths has 17 years experience
in the disciplines of silver smiting.
Galmer is Proud to introduce its own unique line of sterling silver.
The demand for Galmer's silver has steadily grown and is now distributed
through out the United States.
1996
- Galmer and the USS Oklahoma Punch Bowl
The
silver punch bowl that once graced affairs of state aboard the battleship
USS Oklahoma came home and took its place as a historic artifact. The
centerpiece bowl is decorated with reliefs of the state seal, the 1889
Land Run, Mistletoe Stems and wheat Stalks. The handles are sculpted
heads of Cherokee teacher Sequoyah and oomer leader David Payne. The
set was used during diplomatic missions aboard the
USS Oklahoma. It was not on board when the battleship was sunk at Pearl
Harbor. In 1946, a group of Oklahoma's found the bowl stored at the
Puget Sound Navel shipyard and brought it home.
Blake Wade, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society and
owner of the punch bowl said, in recent decades the punch bowl has been
used at a variety of official functions and for variety of uses not
intended for such an artful object. While it was decorating the Governor's
Mansion, it was not visible to Military Veterans and other's who considered
it a venerable object. The curators saw that when it was being
brought
back, it had been deteriorating. It is a priceless item and one of a
kind. Moving it around caused wear and tear. In 1992, the historical
society board of directors voted to take it out of use and put it in
the society's permanent collections. Still, the families of the Governor's
Mansion "wanted to continue to use it."
Georgiana Rymer, a historical society administrator, undertook to find
a way to duplicate the punch bowl when the damage to the punch bowl
became critical. Georgiana Rymer, accompanied the bowl to New York City
where she turned it over to Galmer Silversmiths, the company owned by
Michael Izrael who immediately fell in love with the bowl. Michael knew
that the bowl, so bound to the history of World War II would be a complicated
piece for him. He learned that the large bowl had been made of three
pieces and welded together. With modern technology it allowed him to
duplicate the new bowl into one piece.
Michael who duplicated the bowl from his own sense of patriotism and
professionalism, even copied the scratches that came from years of use
and abuse on a navy ship and in governors dining room. The replica of
the bowl has been manufactured for use on state occasions. Only a perceptive
critic will be able to discern the subtle differences.
The
original USS Oklahoma punch bowl is now on display at the Oklahoma Historical
Society Museum.
The replica, which was produced by Michael Izrael in New York and loaned
by the Historical Society, sits in the Governor's Mansion for use at
state functions.