Month: March 2023

Jewel Envy is a fully equipped jewellery studio and store located in the heart of the Roncesvalles Village. We are now accepting applications for a summer internship. Interns are expected to be available for a minimum of 15 hours per week for a minimum of 10 weeks working for Jewel Envy. Exact dates and times will be confirmed with the successful applicant and must occur during our regular retail hours. The only exception to this is if the intern is available and agrees to work at a show that takes place offsite.

This is an unpaid internship. For every two hours you work for Jewel Envy you will get one hour of bench time to work on your own designs with our supervision. If you are self-motivated and would like to continue to develop your bench skills as well as learn about running your own business please submit an application. To be considered for this internship you must be enrolled in a full-time jewellery or metals program and be returning to school in the fall.

Applications must be received by Monday May 1st, 2023 at 5pm. Please email, mail, or drop off applications in person.

Interviews will be conducted May 3^rd-5^th, 2023. Results will be emailed on or before May 9^th, 2023.

All applications should include a cover letter explaining why you would like to work at Jewel Envy and your resume with references. References will be contacted. Successful applicants will be contacted for an interview and portfolio review. For the interview you will need to bring actual pieces of your work.

Please contact Gillian Batcher (gillian@jewelenvy.ca) with any questions.

Jewel Envy

151 Marion St; Toronto, ON; M6R 1E6

www.jewelenvy.ca      647-436-6709

On April 1st, Jewel Envy will be hosting an online auction!

Shafiq Sarwari, a goldsmith here at Jewel Envy, has been working to help bring his family to Canada. Currently living as refugees in Pakistan, Jewel Envy wants to help bring Shafiq’s family safely to Canada so that they can live without persecution of their beliefs.

Proceeds raised through our auction will support the Group of 5 sponsorship for his family’s move, as well as the local goldsmiths who work out of the Jewel Envy studio.

Here is a sneak peak of some items that will be featured:

More information on the auction to come this week – stay tuned!

When you think of sterling silver, do you think high mirror polish finish? Alot of people do, but there are actually other finishes that can be very attractive, and not everyone likes the super shiny look.

How about you? What’s your favourite finish? Come in and see what else we’ve got.

Happy Saturday!

Daylight Savings got you down? A little retail therapy may help!

Featuring the work of Mere

Jewellery tarnishes as a result of exposure to the oxygen in air. This process is called oxidation.

Oxidation can be used decoratively in Jewellery that you see as blackened areas but will also occur naturally over time. You can minimize this natural chemical reaction by keeping your Jewellery in a box that absorbs moisture and reduces oxygen.

Small sealed plastic bags are also an effective way to protect your Jewellery from exposure to oxygen. 

Anit-tarnish covers and/or cloths are also available to put around Jewellery or to use in Jewellery roll-up cases to protect pieces from oxygen.

Oxidation will still occur over time, but these methods will reduce the speed with which it happens.

The climate you live in will also affect the rate at which natural oxidation occurs. Warm humid environments will cause Jewellery to tarnish faster than dry environments.

Dry environments can cause their own problems by removing moisture in some gemstones and cause them to crack. An artificially dry environment such as a plastic bag may appear to be the solution for humid environments but will hurt some gemstones like pearls and opals that need moisture to preserve their lustrous qualities.

If you are wondering why some of your Jewellery appears to tarnish more or at a faster rate than other pieces, it can be because some metals and their alloy components react to oxygen differently.

Costume Jewellery – Likely will tarnish but depends on the alloys. Copper based alloys tarnish.

Fine Silver – does not tarnish.

Sterling Silver – Tarnishes as the copper in the alloy reacts to the oxygen in the air.

Yellow Gold – Lower karats will tarnish more as they have a greater copper content than higher karat gold.

Nickel white gold – Tarnishes a slightly yellow colour over time, lower karats tarnish faster than higher karats.

Palladium white gold – Does not tarnish.

Platinum – Does not tarnish.

Some white metal Jewellery (sterling silver, nickel white gold) is plated with Rhodium. Rhodium is from the platinum group. There are six types of platinum that make up this group of metal; they are not alloys but metals with similar properties. Rhodium is hypo allergenic and does not tarnish.

Some yellow metal Jewellery (brass, gold) is plated with high kart yellow gold for a bright yellow finish and because of the higher kart the less it tarnishes.

Just because a metal does not tarnish it can still get dirty. There are chemicals and dust in the air we breathe and this settles on Jewellery forming a fine layer that can resemble tarnish but is not the result of oxidation.

’20 Tips on maintaining our Jewellery’, Gillian E. Batcher, 2013