Alex O’Connor
About Alex O'Connor
Alex O’Connor is a Cornwall-based silversmith and jeweller whose work explores the relationship between object, landscape, and quiet observation. Rooted in a desire to create moments of stillness and connection, her practice draws on the rhythms and forms of the surrounding coastline.
With a background in Fine Art and Sculpture, Alex moves fluidly between sculpture and function, creating vessels and wearable pieces that balance presence with use. Her process begins with walking and sketching, followed by an intuitive period of making and refinement, where forms are gradually reduced to their essential qualities.
The resulting works are minimal yet expressive, holding a quiet tension between strength and delicacy. Rather than seeking attention, they invite a slower, more considered engagement—encouraging the viewer to pause, reflect, and connect with the object in a personal way.
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Meet Alex
Alex uses traditional silversmithing techniques to fabricate her pieces, employing processes such as scoring, folding, and forming with steel and wooden formers. Her practice is grounded in drawing, model-making, and the development of test pieces, allowing forms to evolve through an intuitive and iterative process.
The surfaces of her silverware are subtly tactile, often softened with abrasives, chased or sandblasted to achieve finishes that catch and diffuse the light. Deeply engaged with the material qualities of silver, Alex describes the metal as highly responsive — revealing its changing state through sound, resistance, and movement during making. Through hammering and annealing, a dialogue emerges between maker and material, where the process becomes as much about listening and responding as it is about forming.
Information on commissions
All Goldsmiths’ Fair exhibitors welcome commissions. Don’t hesitate to contact this maker and start a conversation about commissioning a piece, unique to you. Examples of commissioning include transforming or combining old jewellery into new pieces, incorporating stones into new settings, or simply working together to create a bespoke piece in the style of this maker.
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