Jewel Envy – Page 25

Still Open!

April 19, 2016August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

There
has been an accident with damage to our front yard and porch entrance.
Everyone is safe and sound and we are still open during our regular
business hours and for classes. Please exercise caution when using the
stairs to the studio entrance. The porch awning has been made
structurally sound, it just doesn’t look as pretty.

Spotlight on our goldsmith Amanda Henderson!

April 17, 2016August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

Welcome back to another spotlight on one of our talented goldsmiths. Amanda joined the Jewel Envy crew back in our previous location as we were thinking about moving so she has been with us for a while now.

Amanda has a fairly wide range of work including everything from Dr Who inspired pieces, to Movember themed mustaches to bridal jewellery to Art Deco designs.

I have seen a few sneak peaks of new pieces under development from the Art Deco line and all I can say is I hope we get them in the store this spring. I love the crisp lines and clean finishes in this work. It seems our customers feel the same since we can barely keep them in the store. Below are a couple pieces we have in stock right now. If they speak to you too, drop in and try them on quick so you can snatch them up for your spring wardrobe!

Gillian

OSEB

April 5, 2016August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

As a jeweller in residence at Jewel Envy I had the great chance to get accepted in a program called OSEB , financed by the government of Ontario, Ontario Self Employment Benefit.

It was created to help people from all different work fields get their own small business started.
With a group of 17 classmates we had intensive business lectures, marketing, advertising, and networking were on the program as well. In those 10 months I learned a lot of interesting and useful things around self employment.

The program ran for 10 years and supported hundreds of people to take the steps necessary to become an entrepreneur. Unfortunately OSEB does not exist any more, I participated in the very last group.

Hopefully it will be reinstalled by our new government.

Judith

Replication, We do that!

April 3, 2016August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

Our customer brought in this single earring. She requested a replication of it because it is one of her favourite pair of earrings. Well, we do that!

Here is the first step in recreating the earrings – hand carved waxes that will be cast into sterling silver.

Here they are after being cast in sterling silver!

After soldering the findings into place each crevice where a rhinestone is going to placed has to be cleaned and shaped before each rhinestones is glued into place.

Here they are finished!

Side by side the original.

One more for the road!

Replication was done by resident goldsmith and Manager, Alexis Kostuk.

More Mokume!

April 2, 2016August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

Last week I showcased some of Pash Jewellery’s mokume necklaces. This week, it is still all about mokume, but with rings. They are all beautiful as wedding bands, or a special treat for yourself just ’cause.

In case you are unfamiliar with mokume, here is a quick lesson. Mokume Gane is a Japanese lamination technique, that involves the layering of different metals to create a unique pattern. It can be quite labour-intensive, but the results are so stunning it is definitely worthwhile.

These rings are both sterling silver and copper. The pattern is like the grain of wood, and every piece is entirely unique.

This ring is a spinner, with a lovely pink sapphire for a perfect small pop of colour. The main band is sterling, and the mokume is a mix of 18K pink and white gold.

If you have soldering experience, and would like to learn more about this technique, we are running a 2-day workshop this month. The Mokume Gane class is scheduled for Saturday April 23, and Sunday April 24. Come and get your learn on!

Artist Spotlight: Archerade!

March 27, 2016August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

Archerade

In today’s Artist Spotlight is Sasha
Oda, the force behind Archerade: bringing colour and contrast together with
form and technique! My personal
favourites are the ones in her collection with the ‘Huggie’ style – here are
three stunning examples!

https://www.jewelenvy.ca/sites/default/files/goldsmiths/toro%20rings.jpg

Her other
works also prominently display all sorts of gemstones, bringing a depth and
range of style, such as this wonderful necklace: a definitely statement piece!

Empire necklace - sterling silver pendant on silver chain, with turquoise stone

Lastly, as you can tell, pattern
and texture are prime features in many of her pieces: the light and dark
sequences add character to the finished work.
A great example is the necklace below!

Bandit necklace - Sterling silver U-shaped pendant with chain

An incredibly diverse range of
styles and artistic influences make up the jewelry made by Archerade, come by
and see them today!

Save vs Splurge – Easter Edition:)

March 26, 2016August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

Happy Easter errybody! For today’s edition of Save vs Splurge, I decided to look at two necklaces by Gillian Batcher of Pash Jewellery Design.

Both of these beauties were made using the Mokume Gane method. If this is your first time hearing that term, here is a quick rundown: It is a Japanese metal-working technique, that involves the layering of different coloured metals, in order to achieve a laminate that resembles the grain of wood.

It is a time-consuming process, but the results are well worth the effort. See for yourself:

At first glance, the pendant is simple and classic. Yet upon closer inspection, you can see the complex and organic pattern that is a result of the Mokume Gane technique. This pendant is made from sterling silver and copper, and it retails in our studio at $195.

And look at this masterpiece! At first glance,what catches my eye is the graceful way this necklace cascades down the neck and collar. As I lean in more closely, I can see the texture and detail in each individual piece; the mix of the crochet and the mokume is very striking. This beauty retails at $4,600, and we’re open all day until 7pm so come in and try them both on!

Bonjour!

March 20, 2016August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

Bonjour!

I am Ivane Thiebaut, and just moved back to Toronto and I love it! I lived in Paris, London/UK, Sydney/Australia and many other cities but none equal Toronto for it’s amazing artistic community!

I trained as a Gemologist in the heart of London/UK Gem and Jewellery district, Hatton Garden- for those in the know!

I have been getting my work bench reorganized, and also had to restock
on all the chemicals as well (as they can not be easily transported on
international moves).

I am very exited about having just joined Jewel Envy! So many
talented and great jewellers there, all with very different styles and
amazing qualities in a great neighborhood.

Come and say hello! We are always happy to see new and old faces!

A Very Special Gift!

March 19, 2016August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

Last month I had the privilege of working with a client on a very special birthday gift for his wife. Matt and his wife Crystal had been to a gem mine about 5 years ago when they were just newlyweds and found a wonderful specimen of white topaz. They decided to hold on to it as they found it but Matt thought this would make a very special and memorable champagne birthday gift this year.

He approached Jewel Envy to see if we could help facilitate this. I met with Matt and we discussed gem cut shapes. His goal was to maximize size so we settled on a pear shape faceted cut. At this time Jewel Envy do not have in house faceting facilities but we do work with a few gem cutters so I took it to one and he was able to maximize size while also bringing the cut to life.

Below are some before and after pictures of the topaz project!

Before

After

And here is a little video Matt made showing how refractive the stone actually is.

It was truly wonderful to hear about the thought that went into this gift and how special Matt’s wife was to him. Thank you Matt for letting us help with this Crystal’s birthday this year and we hope to see you and the stone back in the future to turn it into a piece of jewellery!

All the best to this wonderful couple.

Gillian

Oh heeeey Alexis!

March 13, 2016August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

In case you don’t know Alexis Kostuk (of Glaciale jewellery design), I want to spend a moment giving you a glimpse into her goldsmithing goodness.

She is an all-around amazing artist, and her talent is more than visible in her carved pieces. Below are some of her statement rings that catch the eye in the best way possible.

The centre stone is a blue onyx, and it’s surrounded by white sapphires. This appeals to my art nouveau/deco-architecture-appreciating self in so many great ways.