A fourth generation metalsmith, John Prip was born in 1922 in New York City. In 1933 his family moved to Denmark, where his father took over the family's silversmith shop. During his time in Denmark, Prip studied metalwork and apprenticed to the silversmith Evald Nielsen while attending Copenhagen Technical College. In 1948, Prip returned to the United States and joined the faculty of the silversmithing program at the School for American Craftsmen - remaining until 1954. During this time, Prip also founded and was partner in Shop One, a retail craft outlet in Rochester, New York. Prip taught at such institutions as the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Rhode Island School of Design, and he was employed as a designer/craftsman for Reed & Barton. A few of his designs for Reed & Barton are still being produced today, and his work is included in numerous collections, including the Renwick Gallery and the Art Institute of Chicago. John Prip was awarded the American Craft Council Gold Medal in 1992 and died in 2009.