Decades of European craftsmanship meet a century of Australian tradition, uniting skill and heritage across continents.
In the heart of Sydney’s oldest surviving silversmithing workshop, a new artisan has joined the bench. His every gesture reflects decades of experience gained in Porto, Portugal, where he spent twenty-eight years at the world-renowned Alcino Silversmiths.
“I started at 14 years of age as an apprentice, and stayed for 28 years in that company,” he says. “Alcino is a century-old house of silversmithing with a vast repertoire in fabricating art pieces, attracting designers and architects to produce silver and gold artworks.”
It was there, surrounded by master craftsmen, that he learned the foundations of his trade, skills that now enrich the long tradition of W.J. Sanders. “My skills as a silversmith and restorer come from the teaching of masters of silversmithing that accompanied my evolution,” he explains. “They taught me that restoration and manufacture are connected by processes. If we understand one, we also understand the next.”
A Crown and a Calling
His skill in combining sculpture and restoration deepened when he undertook one of his most challenging projects, the recreation of a noble family’s crown in Portugal. “Only a third of the original survived,” he explains. “I had to research and draw the missing parts, working until every detail matched the spirit of the original. It felt like breathing life back into history.”
This project reinforced his belief that restoration is not just repair, it is revival. “Every object has a story,” he says. “Our job is to help it speak again.”
From Portuguese Sculpture to Australian Craft
During his career in Portugal, Paulo worked on Alcino’s well-known silver animal sculptures, intricate pieces that required expert fabrication and refinement of sculptural metal forms.
“Each piece was individual,” he says. “It required precision and sensitivity. You had to let the silver and the form speak to one another.”
Those same technical skills are now being applied at W.J. Sanders, where he contributes to the production of a new range of finely wrought Sterling Silver Animal Objets. While the designs are developed by W.J. Sanders, his expertise in assembling and finishing these complex forms is essential to bringing each sculpture to life.
“This project connects everything I have learned,” he explains. “In Portugal, I worked on pieces that combined materials like metal and shell. Here, I apply those same techniques to create something that reflects Australian nature.”
The first creation, a silver Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, draws on Paulo’s refined understanding of sculptural balance and his appreciation for natural materials, while expressing an entirely Australian story.
Each piece is made by hand in the Sydney workshop, combining W.J. Sanders’ century-long tradition with Paulo’s European craftsmanship. The collection showcases how international experience can enrich an Australian craft without imitation, producing something original, confident, and local in spirit. “It’s about preserving tradition and creating new stories at the same time,” He explains.
A Restorer’s Philosophy
For this craftsman, restoration and manufacture are inseparable parts of the same art. “Restoration is storytelling,” he says. “Every object is a witness to time. Treat your work not as repair, but as revival, a way to let a piece whisper its history again.” He also believes in patience and observation. “Master the art of observation,” he advises. “Learn to see beyond damage; every scratch, dent, or tarnish tells a story. Respect the original, and never stop learning.”
As he works among the tools and benches of W.J. Sanders, Paulo continues a dialogue that began in Porto and now resonates through Australian craftsmanship. His skills, refined over decades, have found a new home where tradition, artistry, and innovation meet.