Month: August 2025 | Jewel Envy

Chain Making

August 23, 2025August 23, 2025Jewel EnvyGeneral

Is it worth it to make chain by hand? Depends on the design! Sometimes goldsmiths make chain to specific measurements and shapes to suit their design, and sometimes pre-made chain is bought to complete a necklace. Chain is not only limited to circular links; it can be made of a combination of long and circular links, it can be made from lengths of wire, or it can be made of modular units of the same design repeated over and over and linked together. Our goldsmiths here at Jewel Envy make all sorts of chains! See pictures below of our wide variety of handmade chain.

Mixed link and Byzantine chains by Winfield Design.

Square chain necklace by Pash Jewellery Design.

Chain bracelets and earrings by Jamie Rosario.

Gold and silver chain bracelet and necklace by Eunice Lin.

Mixed link chain necklace featuring felted details by House of Cassady.

Introducing MinSeo Whee’s Narrative Jewellery

August 19, 2025August 19, 2025Jewel EnvyGeneral

MinSeo is an emerging artist who believes jewellery can be more than decoration- it can carry stories. Her practice transforms cherished memories into wearable art, blending colour, texture, and collected objects into pieces that feel both personal and universal. Rooted in Material Art and Design at OCAD University, she combines centuries-old Korean inlay techniques with modern tools like 3D scanning and digital modeling. Her jewellery arts earned a recognition by receiving Metal Award at OCAD University, one of the finalist of L.A. Pai Gallery Jewellery Competition, and Craft Ontario Award.

One of her recent collection Collecting Times reflects on the human habit of gathering keepsakes- shells, letter, and small treasures that become memory capsules. Through intricate rotating-lock clasps, these pieces symbolize reunion, separation, and the ties that hold our lives together. With each work, MinSeo invites us to see jewellery not only as adornment, but as a vessel for memory and identity.

Collecting Times Booklet created by MinSeo Whee

To explore more about Collecting Times, please visit the link above!

Upcoming Craft Shows from now until Fall.

August 17, 2025August 19, 2025Jewel EnvyGeneral

Ontario is known for its many craft shows all over, featuring many talented artists.

Starting off with the end of August from the 30th to 31st of August there is the Kawartha Arts Festival in Fenelon Falls. Their tagline reads: Art in the country. It was first held in 1989 with a small group of artists. It is located in the Fenelon Falls fairground.

Next up in September there is the Cabbage Town Arts and Craft show happening after Labour Day weekend. It will be located in Riverdale Park West. It was founded in 1988.

Then on September 20th and 21st, there are two shows happening simultaneously in different parts of the city. Queen West Art Crawl at Trinity Bellwoods then DECA (Danforth East Arts Fair) happening in East Lynn Park.

October 4th and 5th in Meaford by the Blue Mountains is the Apple Harvest Craft Show.

October 23rd to 26th is the Signatures Art and Craft Show in Ottawa and Hand of Man in Peterborough in the Morrow building.

Thanks for reading!

EL

What’s in a Fabrication Class?

August 16, 2025August 16, 2025Jewel EnvyGeneral

As classes start all over the country in September, we here at Jewel Envy are also preparing to welcome sparkly new students into our Fabrication classes for September and October.

Whether you are curious, committed, or looking to keep busy in a creative way, we have the class for you.

Fabrication is the method of making jewellery by putting together parts, in this case, by hand. Our fabrication classes are designed to teach you the skills to not only make an assigned project, but make something from your own imagination. They are the skills of goldsmiths, and you can take them as far as you are willing to go.

In our Introductory Fabrication class, starting Sept 17th and going every Wednesday for 8 weeks, we teach sawing, piercing, filing, soldering, riveting, texturing techniques, and how to make simple findings.

Take a look at what some of our Intro students do with those skills in class with a bit of Stirling silver, copper, and brass:

For students who have already finished our Intro course, Intermediate Fabrication class starting in October to build on those skills, while exploring new skills like setting. We also introduce forming techniques using dapping blocks and the hydraulic press.

Make sure you are on our newsletter list to receive news about upcoming classes, and check our website for class schedules and registration.