In an era when so much luxury is mass-produced, it is increasingly rare to step inside a true ourivesaria — a traditional silversmith’s workshop where craft is not branding, but daily practice. At Alcino Silversmiths, silver is still cast, chased, polished, and perfected by hand, just as it has been for more than a century. Today, while jewelry has become the company’s core business, the workshop continues to produce sculptural centerpieces, formal serving dishes, decanters, candelabras, and intricate decorative objects that feel less like retail items and more like works of art.
Seeing Alcino’s silver swans, polished seashells incorporated into ostriches, giraffes, spiders, tea sets and elaborate table pieces up close is a transportive experience. They evoke museum collections in European castles, treasures behind antique shop glass, or the kind of ceremonial objects a grandmother might reserve for holiday dinners.
That sense of continuity is no accident. Founded in 1902 by Manuel Alcino Sousa e Silva, the company built its reputation producing fine cutlery before expanding into tabletop sculptures and utility pieces. Over the decades, Alcino has created commissions for royalty and diplomats, and today counts fashion houses, art collectors, interior designers and wedding clients among its patrons.
The business is now led by fifth-generation Manuel Alcino and his daughters Raquel and Patrícia, the sixth generation of the family. With Patrícia guiding creative direction, they continue to honor the company’s heritage while crafting exclusive, high-quality pieces for today’s market.
Inside the workshop, just seven artisans work quietly and methodically. Each focuses on a single piece at a time, and some works take months to complete. Casting, chiseling, molding, and filigree are practiced here every day — part of the workshop’s enduring craft tradition.
Product lines range from refined contemporary jewelry to museum-worthy sculptural works. Patrícia regularly visits international mineral and gemstone fairs, sourcing striking crystals, geodes, and semi-precious stones that are later integrated into bold silver compositions — a subtle fusion of tradition and modern design.
Visitors can experience this world firsthand through guided tours of the workshop on Rua de Santos Pousada. Over the course of the visit, guests see works in progress, speak with artisans, and explore a showroom that includes restored antique pieces reacquired by the family and offered to collectors.
In a city known for its viewpoints and wine cellars, Alcino offers something rarer: access to a craft that has never stopped evolving — only refining itself.
For more information, visit the Alcino Silversmiths website.
Alcino Silversmiths
Flagship Store & Workshop
Rua de Santos Pousada, 76
Bonfim District
Porto
Phone: +351 225 371 909
Email: alcino@alcino.com
Workshop Tour
Contacts for booking:
Telephone: +351 225 371 909
Mobile: +351 918 806 912
Or use the online form here
Visiting hours: Monday to Friday – 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:00
Maximum number of visitors: Up to 15 person per group
Available languages:Portuguese and English
Visit’s duration: 40 minutes to 1 hour
€15 per person.
Other Alcino Store Locations
Porto – Hotel Intercontinental, Praça da Liberdade, 25, Shop 3
Porto – Rua das Flores, 259