Month: August 2019

Goldsmiths are more than just craftsmen, they are artists. From sketches and renderings of designs to sculpting and fabrication of the final piece, we goldsmiths truly are multi-talented artists and at Jewel Envy we mean business.

While some items are meant to be worn, others are meant to be displayed. Take our resident artist Peter van Walraven. We have a sneak-peak of his more unusual custom work, like canoe paddles.

Armed with a wood burner, the sills of a goldsmith/lapidary artist, two purchased canoe paddles and a crazy, artist eye he was able to create these ceremonial wedding paddles for a lucky couple. All that you see what created by Peter by hand, even central the stones. 

Keeping with the canoe theme, Peter used the windswept rocks of Georgian Bay and quiet inland lakes of Algonquin Provincial Park for inspiration. Like all works of art, there is a story to this piece. The commission came from a couple that wanted to replicate a set of paddles that got as a gift for their wedding. The bride originated from Russia, while the groom was Ontario. Peter loves to make sure his work has a personal touch for the owners. The maple leaf a symbol of Canada can be found on the groom’s paddle with the copper sun. The Siberian fir and white birch are symbols of Russia found on the brides with the silver moon. The celestial bodies also carry a personal meaning within them. Inside the groom’s sun is amber, a national symbol of Russia, while inside the bride’s moon is sodalite, a stone native of Ontario.  

His work doesn’t stop there, Peter has a few more tricks and ideas up his sleeve in theme with the cottage feel of these paddles. How about a cutting/serving board, or coffee coasters? The possibilities are pretty endless, you just need an artist with the right ideas and skills.

Peter

We love seeing our creations out in the wild! We recently got DMs from a customer with wonderful pictures and I couldn’t wait to share them! Jade came into the studio last fall and after introducing her to our space and giving her the run down on what we offer including repairs, redesigns, custom, and classes she was immediately curious about custom creations. She had a vision in mind for the engagement ring of her dreams and we were more than happy to make it happen. Parul searched around for the perfect gem that had a magical colour shift (green/red) called andalusite and it paired beautifully with the leaf pattern of the ring made in rose gold. Then Alexis matched the leaf pattern with a mixed metal rose and white gold band for David. Please enjoy the fabulous pics sent our way!

I can’t believe that we’re already in the middle of August!  Where did the summer go?

Today, I thought I’d talk just a bit about August birthstones, since gems are always a fun topic!  The most well known birthstone for August is the Peridot.  Here are a couple of images of peridot: an image of rough stone in matrix, and a faceted one….

Peridot is a magnesium and iron-rich silicate, and is sometimes known as chrysolite.  It can vary in colour depending on the amount of iron in the crystal, from yellow, to olive to a more brownish-green.  Occasionally, they can be darker, or a more pure green, but this is relatively rare.

The other main birthstone for August is the spinel.  Sometimes mistaken for  a ruby, it often has a pink to red colour. With crystals incorporating Magnesium and Aluminium, although its main colour is pink, you do sometimes find them in other colours including blue, green, yellow, brown, black, or violet.

Know anyone with a birthday in August? Why not come see what we can design incorporating peridot or spinel for an extra special birthday gift! 

As you may know, if you visit the big blue house, approaching from the south, we have three amazing street level windows, which we use to showcase one of our resident goldsmiths, a special theme, or a special collection of work from the studio group.  We like to rotate the displays, and we have just recently changed out the windows to showcase one of our newest additions-the work of Alex Kinsey of Kinsley Vey Designs.  Alex has a number of pieces from his ‘Growth’ collection available in the retail shop of the studio, like these earrings and pendant:

However, the windows showcase Alex’s more recent work, some large exhibition pieces from his ‘Iron Identity’ collection, which you can read more about here (as well as see some great photos of his jewellery scale pieces). 

I have to admit that my photos don’t really do his fascinating pieces justice!!  Why not wander along Roncevalles and take a closer look at his work yourself. While you’re there, check out our class list and maybe visit us in the studio retail area, we love visitors! 

For thousands of years, emeralds have been mined and considered one of the world’s most valuable jewels. The first ever recorded emeralds date back to ancient Egypt, where they were particularly admired by Queen Cleopatra. In addition to their aesthetic value, emeralds were highly valued in ancient times because they were believed to increase intelligence, protect marriages, ease childbirth, and thought to enable its possessor the power of predicting future events.    An emerald is actually a beryllium stone that owes its special color to beryllium, chromium, and vanadium, all of which are chemical elements that are very scarce, and the reason for the color of an emerald.

Colombian emeralds are much more on demand, and not just because of their superb quality and color. A gem’s value depends upon its size, purity, color and brilliance. Even when they are mined in the same area, each individual emerald has its own unique look that sets it apart from the rest. Dark green is considered to be the most beautiful, scarce, and valuable color for emeralds. An emerald of this color is considered rare and is only found in the deepest mines of Colombia.   The eastern portion of the Andes, between  the Boyacá and Cundinamarca departments, is where most Colombian emeralds are mined. The three major mines in Colombia are Muzo, Coscuez and Chivor. Muzo and Coscuez are on long-term leases from the government to two Colombian companies, while Chivor is a privately owned mine. Muzo remains the most important emerald mine in the world to this date.   One of the most famous Colombian’s emeralds are:   Patricia Emerald – this 630-carat, Di-hexagonal cut was first discovered in Chivor in 1920. It is named after the mine owner’s daughter, Patricia. This emerald currently resides in the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

 Fura Emerald – the second-biggest emerald in the world, with 2.2 kilograms (4.9 lb) or 11,000 carat, found in Muzo, in 1999

Tena Emerald – the most valuable emerald in the world, 400 grams (0.88 lb) or 2,000 carats, found in Muzo, in 1999  

Come to visit us at Jewel Envy with the gorgeous one you have in your magic box; grandma will be very proud to know you are going to enhance it! we can make an incredible design, we can resize it, we can clean it and more, and you will add even more great memories to it!   Have a nice Sunday!     Helena

Greetings from the Blue House in Roncy! I’ve got some exciting news for you on a sunny Saturday…

*drum roll please….

Our new website has officially launched and its filled with all kinds of goodies for your viewing pleasure! With updated bios on our in house goldsmiths, an updated gallery of our exclusive jewel envy pieces, updated workshop schedule and our NEW ONLINE STORE!

So click here and visit —-> https://www.jewelenvy.ca to check it out – I personally guarantee you will not be disappointed!

Happy browsing, shopping and indulging this weekend!

Yours truly,

Jess