Alex Chaney

jewelry artist

About the Artist

Alex Chaney was born and raised in Silverton, Oregon. As a youngster, she began making jewelry from found objects—including porcupine quills, feathers, bullet shells, and pieces of worm chewed wood—often found in the forest surrounding her family’s log cabin home. In junior high, she took a beading class, and continued the craft as a hobby.

Although her college career began with graphic design, she soon realized that she much preferred working with her hands rather than a computer, and she switched majors to Jewelry and Metalsmithing. In 2005, Chaney earned a BFA degree from Northern Arizona University and a MFA degree from Central Washington University in 2009.

Her graduate coursework focused on large sculptural neckpieces, involving found objects used to address the evolutionary imperative behind adornment and the dynamic between attracting and repelling the opposite sex. Since she moved back to Silverton, she has split her time between working as a server and creating jewelry in her home studio.
Currently, she produces whimsical silver necklaces, earrings and rings with miniature plastic animal and dinosaur toys. She also scours Etsy for stones to combine with silver findings. Although she focuses on production jewelry for everyday wear, she also creates technically challenging one of a kind art jewelry pieces.