Month: February 2024

Student fun!

Posted on Categories General

Well, I can’t say it’s not a sunny Saturday, but I definitely think winter is trying to take another bite out of Toronto– it’s CHILLY! this morning. This Saturday I’m on retail in the studio, but last weekend I had a fun day of teaching. We were doing an Earrings class, and one of my students kindly agreed to let me take some pictures of the action! So, fun action shots and the finished article follow.

We had fun with hammering, texture and a bit of stamping to try out some different techniques!

Lots of examination, and trying to match up shapes!

Lots of matching things up 🙂

……And the final product! A supercute pair of hammered ovals with handmade hooks and dangly pearls!

Visit the website or come into the studio to find out more about our classes, and join one in the future!

Have a great Saturday!

-Robin.

Lately

Posted on Categories General
Recently did a bit of clean up and repair for this necklace.
Here it is after a good clean and replacing the missing dangles with some new pearls.
I curated different colour combinations of smooth tumbled tourmalines; see if you can spot this set in the next pic!
Almost done! Now to add findings and clean my hands.
– Alexis

Jeweler and Metal smith

Posted on Categories General

Hello! this is Soccorro Dias, a long time jeweler and an expert on repairing precious antiques . I work in a variety of metals such as silver, bronze, gold and brass, if you are missing a piece and need to duplicate it we are able to use different techniques of Robotics such as C.N.C. machining and modeling as well as the casting expertise of the jewellery industry to do this. Look forward to serving you, Soccorro Dias.

What do I need to know about pin backs?

Posted on Categories General

There are stick pins, fibula, hinge pins, clutch backs, and many variations on each of these.

The main thing to look for is that the pin backs are made from a material strong enough to support the weight of the jewellery. If the pin back is made from sterling silver or gold it can only support light pieces of jewellery, unless it has a thicker wire than the average pin backing. If the wire is nickel or stainless steel it can be narrower in diameter and still support the weight of the decorative side of the pin without warping.

Think about the clothing you want to wear the piece on and make sure the pin going through your clothes is the right size to stay in place and not damage the fabric or knit.

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

Tucson Gem and Mineral show

Posted on Categories General

Hi everyone! It’s been a fabulous few days with full sun here in Toronto and temperatures between 1-10c. I hope you have all been soaking up all the Vitamin D you can. According to the ground hogs, it seems like we are getting an early spring!

Anyhow, not sure if anyone has ever heard of the prestigious Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. 3 of our goldsmiths here at Jewel Envy are attending the show; Gillian Batcher of Pash Jewellery, Hayat Rahal of Hayatii Gold and Jennifer Trotman of Frekkel Designs.

The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show was founded in 1955 and is said to be the largest, oldest and most prestigious gem and mineral show in the world. There is something there for everyone whether its faceted gemstones, beads, fossils, minerals, crystals bigger than a human or dinosaur bones! Not only are there things to buy but there are many events you can attend too plus classes. This place is basically a goldsmith’s dream. I hope to attend next year!

The dates for this years show is from January 16-February 11th and every year there are about 4000 vendors and 65,000 visitors. This also is not just one show but around 50 shows.

have a great day!

Eunice

New Tricks

Posted on Categories General

We are thrilled to see the turnout for our classes so far this year. We are back to full class sizes, and our students are making the most of it.

Our Gemsetting class started in January at full capacity, and it is going strong. Many students from our Intro Casting and our Intro Fabrication are bringing their skills to this new challenge, and they are crushing it… I mean, not the jewellery, the challenge… they are doing great! We have covered bezel setting, and are on our way to prong setting. Excitement!

We have covered basic tools, and the students are training their eyes to see the most important details.

Whether they go on to practice and set their own pieces, or use their training for better quality control, they are excited, motivated, and we love to see it!

Check out our calendar to see what “gem” of a class we have coming up next!



×
Product added to cart

No products in the cart.