Author: Jewel Envy

A Little Pop Culture, A Little Old Tradition

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There’s certain pieces of jewellery that are quite definitive in pop culture. Like the “Heart of the Ocean” necklace in Titanic, or that gigantic diamond collar Nicole Kidman’s character Satine wears in Moulin Rouge. Today I was thinking about a more subtle piece of jewellery in pop culture and, being a traditional Irish symbol of love, kind of goes with the month of March and St. Patrick’s day coming up next week.
Anyone who knows me knows I am a diehard Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan. Any chance I get to talk about Buffy I welcome with great excitement. I grew up with the show, premiering in 1996 when I was just 11 years old and probably had no business watching such a scarey program. But something in the dark comedic stylings of Joss Whedon grabbed hold of me and never let go.
Another one of Joss’s writing talents is a tragic romance of epic proportions. A slayer and a vampire in love? Oh yes, and that vampire was the most ruthless vicious vampire of all time and some gypsies cursed him with a soul so he would suffer for all of eternity! There were tears, there action packed fights, there were moments where our hearts skipped a beat, and there was the time Angel gave Buffy this:

And then this happened…

 
 And then we all died when this happened…
 
Then some other PG13 stuff happened that I won’t post here but back to the ring!
Angel, or Liam as was his human name, was from Ireland originally. I don’t know what happened to his accent but he did keep one Irish tradition going when he gave Buff that Claddagh ring. A heart representing love, hands representing friendship, and a crown representing loyalty. The way you wear it is determined by your martial status. It’s worn on the right hand with the point of the heart toward the fingertips if
the wearer is single, on the right hand with the point of the heart toward the wrist if the
wearer is in a relationship, on the left hand with the point of the heart toward the fingertips if the wearer is engaged, and on the left hand with the point of the heart toward the wrist if the wearer is married.
Hopefully if someone gives you a Claddagh ring you get to wear it longer than Buff Buff did :s
-Lauren
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This is a pair of Victorian style inspired custom earring. Mr. Chang was a
romantic man whom had this picture in his mind that what jewellery would
look lovely on his girlfriend. We had couple rounds of exchange in
ideas and this is what we finalized with.
There involved many steps of fabrication and planning, since they had
lots of elements to go on one piece. It has two layers of petals with a
pearl in the center. There are wires hanging down freely with yellow
sapphires set at the end. Also,  they were 24k yellow gold plated
partially on sterling silver to give it an antique look.

ChiaChien

Luminescence: The Silver of Peru

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Got the February/March blahs? It’s been kind of grey outside, but grey isn’t always so bad. Especially when it’s shiny! There’s a cool exhibition in town of the silver of Peru, pre-Columbian to present. It’s actually been in town since January 15 but it’s still on until March 9th. I haven’t been out too much in the past couple of weeks nevermind taken the subway, so I was pleasently surprised when I saw a poster for this:

There’s also a public lecture this Wednesday the 27th.
You can read more about it here!
Hang in there, the flowers will be back soon.
-Lauren

More Wearable Books!

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Hi friends!

Here’s a sneak peak at what I’ve been up to getting ready for the One Of A Kind Spring Show! 
Collection of book rings and bangles
What it looks like being worn as a closed book

What it looks like flipped around!

Come see these and other book related jewellery and things in person! The One Of A Kind Spring Show runs from March 27th – 31st!

See you there!
-Theresa

Create Your Own Heart

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Everyday can be your Valentine’s Day.  This guy came to me and asked
me to design a double J heart necklace for his girlfriend. I think he is
very clever and thoughtful. Among all the designs I gave him, this is
the one he picked. The captial J is masculine and thick symbolizing man,
and the samll j is curvy and orgainic representing woman. A white
sappire is set in the center to give it a touch of bling. Instead of
wearing it like a heart, I simply put a knot on the chain connecting to
the pendant. He not only included himself into the pendant, but also
gave the heart another level of meaning, just for the her.
Image
Awwww….cute….
Sterling sliver and white sapphire.

by Ellolite

Recycling Gold

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Hello to you all on this snowy February day!

I know it is cold out, but this might help warm you up!

Have you ever wondered about recycling gold, and what that is all about? Well, I’m here to give you the down low. The truth is that all goldsmiths recycle their gold and silver. When we end up with enough scraps, we take it to the refiner. They take those scraps and refine them into clean material to be used again!

Sometimes we can reuse our scraps ourselves without going to the refiner. If we have clean scraps – they have to be completely free of solder and and impurities, or it will just taint all of the metal- we can melt them down ourselves and work them into new sheet metal or wire. But usually, we cast with them. This is the same way that we can take old jewellery (but again, it must be completely free old solder and impurities) and make it into new jewellery! When we make anything out of old metal, we have to add at least an equal amount of new metal. After metal has been used once, it starts to get dirty and “tired”, by adding new metal it “refreshes” the old metal so that it can be used again.

Here we start off with the metals separate. 24K, pure gold on the left, the “old” gold in the middle, and the alloy metal- that is copper and silver we add it to change the colour (white, rose, etc) and lower the karat (18K, 14K, 10K, etc). In these pictures, we are also heating the crucible, a special melting bowl, and a carbon rod, used for stirring the metal.
Here a couple really cool photos of the metal melting. We add the metal in a certain order to keep the metal as clean as possible. Pure gold will oxidize less, so that goes first, then the “old” gold, then the alloy.
 
 Time to pour the metal!
And there is the lovely new 18K gold.
 Ready to be cast into new jewellery!
Here is a gold fox made by Sasha Oda
Now you know that goldsmiths were the first to be eco-friendly! It is a lot of work to reuse metal, but when it is possible, it is the option that we prefer. Here at Jewel Envy, we are lucky to have our own casting equipment. Without it, it would be impossible to reuse our metal.
Thanks for stopping by!
If you’re willing to brave the snow, stop by Jewel Envy, and bring me a hot chocolate.
 Amanda

Jewel Envy Bezel Setting Class

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Today’s bezel setting workshop is one of the many classes taught at Jewel Envy. It is a one day intensive class–the group of four students today is being expertly taught by a veteren–Alexis Kostuk .It is always exciting to watch the aquisition of goldsmithing skills and the beautiful results!

Pantone Colour of the Year 2013

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Ok, so I’m a little late to this party but because it’s only still January I think this is still news. Back in December Pantone released their annual “Color of the Year”. Yeah, they spelled colour funny. Don’t know what to tell you. But that’s not the important part! The important part it how pretty the colour is!

I think I need to go find some emerald spray paint for my Instinct claw earrings 🙂
You can read more about Pantone here.
-Lauren

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My Favourite Things
Hello friends!  I know what you’re thinking – I have great taste.  So today I am sharing with you 
my favourite pieces from the artists at Jewel Envy.  It was exhausting work narrowing it down to just 
one favourite, but I am rewarding myself with chocolate and a nap.
Warning: beautiful jewellery ahead!
Glaciale by Alexis Kotsuk
 
 Alexis is a fantastic artist who works so well in many different mediums – I love 
the colour on this enameled magnet. 
 Jewelust by Amanda Henderson
 
 This necklace is a perfect example of Amanda’s work, and a perfect showcase for
her metal-forming talents.  I especially like the asymmetrical balance.
 Ellolite by Ellen Tsai
Literary jewellery – a floral bookmark, cut out in painstaking detail.  (SO much
nicer than my dentist’s business card, which is what I use.) 
 Pash by Gillian Batcher
I love these spoon earrings with the sprinkling of stones.  Such a lovely, organic shape 
and just the perfect amount of sparkle.
 Iona Alexandra Jewellery by Iona Kanellopoulos
Yellow gold is the perfect contrast for these pink stones – the wire work frames 
 and accentuates the teardrops without hiding anything.
Kathryn Rebecca by Katie Pitt
Katie’s work is very close to nature, like taking a refreshing walk in the forest.  With bling.  Her work 
is dainty yet strong, organic and lovely.
Lauren Hanham Jewellery Designs by Lauren Hanham
Someone else is very skilled at the metal-forming!  I really like how the shape of the 
whole piece mimics the shape of the individual pieces, and the patina 
really highlights the texture just perfectly.
 Lianne Friesen by… Lianne Friesen!
Stud earrings are my very favourite!  These are especially great because at first glance they
seem to be simple and straightforward, when really they have so many layers.  (Haha get it?!)
 Theresa Duong Arts by Theresa Duong
 
A fantastic pair of cufflinks for the fashionable guy who knows jewellery isn’t
just for women!  I love the details – the cutout, the texture, everything.
Archerade by Sasha Oda
 
And because i don’t like being left out – a bracelet with etched details.  Very organic with 
subtle design, that’s kind of my thing.
And that concludes our blog for the day.  OBVIOUSLY the photos just don’t do the jewellery justice, so you should OBVIOUSLY get down here and see the work for yourself!!  OBVIOUSLY!!
Bye! ~Sasha

Moment of Inspiration… Rene Lalique

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Hello friends!

I’ve been cruising around Pinterest (why don’t you follow us? https://pinterest.com/jewelenvy), and I started looking at some Rene Lalique art. Don’t know who that is? Boy, are you ever missing out!

Rene Lalique was born a rural 19th century man in a pre-industrialized
Europe. It was a time before light bulbs, and telephones, before
automobiles and washing machines and electricity. But by the time of his
death in 1945 at the dawn of the atomic age, he would have completed
two careers spanning two different centuries. In 1900 at the age of 40,
he was the most celebrated jeweler in the world and an art nouveau
artist and designer of magnificent proportions. But by 1925 at the
height of the art deco era he was the most celebrated glassmaker in the
world.

My info is quoted from here.

Head on over to our Pinterest board called “Art” and take a look at some Lalique jewellery and glass work.

Here are a couple images of Lalique’s jewellery.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this as much as I do!
Amanda
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