Stacking rings date back centuries with evidence of them being seen in Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece. Although the cultural significance varies between the civilizations, the adornment of these rings has lived on. In Ancient Egypt stacked rings were worn to represent someone’s social standing and connection with eternity, often made of precious metals with intricate engravings. Romans wore stacking rings as a symbol of authority with the number of rings representing an achievement or accomplishment; more rings, more power. The Greeks wore stackable rings that interlocked and could be worn separately or together in different configurations to represent aspects of a relationship, i.e. friendship, love, marriage.

Ancient Hellenistic rings – Roman

Stackable rings have become a staple in modern jewellery as they allow the wearer the ability to personalize their look by donning these rings individually or together in a variety of ways. The wearer becomes the curator of their jewellery design with the ability to not only mix metals and styles but gemstones as well. There are a variety of ring options to check out next time you visit us, looking forward to seeing what combination you come up with.

Spring is a time of growth, renewal, and energy. Expressed through floral motifs, bright colours, fluid lines, and circles, here are just a few pieces from our talented goldsmiths that encapsulate the feeling of Spring!

Silver and gold detail floral earrings by Hyewon Jang / H Jewellery.

Textured silver and pearl necklace by Robin Cassady-Cain / House of Cassady.

Sawpierced silver and raw emerald necklace by Shafiq Sarwari / Shafiq’s Jewelry

The Basics of Jewellery Care: Clean your Jewellery regularly

For years of wearability, jewellery should be cleaned frequently. It is not advisable to let a thick coating of black tarnish build up on your jewellery as it can eventually eat away at metals and create permanent damage to the piece.

There are a variety of methods for cleaning Jewellery. For light tarnish a polishing cloth is the least abrasive method. There are two types of polishing cloths, plain and with rouge embedded in them.

A plain cloth is perfect for weekly cleaning of your pieces. It must be a cloth designed for cleaning jewellery as the fibers in these cloths will not scratch the metal.

You would be surprised that some cloths can actually put scratches into silver and gold jewellery as they have hardness greater than the metals. Use a polishing cloth by rubbing it over the surface of your jewellery. Chains can be pulled through the cloth as you pinch them lightly between the cloth in your fingers.

For a slightly heavier cleaning use a cloth embedded with rouge. Rouge is a polishing compound used in the final stage of finishing jewellery. It can be used on all metals and on most gemstones (check with a jeweller first). After rubbing your jewellery with the rouge embedded side of the cloth rub the jewellery with the non-rouge side of the cloth to remove the compound. Wash your hands well after touching rouge as it is a strong chemical and can easily transfer to other items you subsequently touch.

If you find that the cloths are not removing the tarnish the next step is a metal cleaner that is rubbed on with a sponge under running water. Polishing compounds such as this remove a thin layer of the metal in the process of removing the tarnish. Be careful if you are cleaning plated jewellery as repeated polishing will remove plating over time.

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

As you may have noticed, Jewel Envy is celebrating its 20th year, and celebrating in style! All year long, there are special things happening, including our “golden ticket” to win a unique piece of jewellery from one of Jewel Envy’s member goldsmiths!

What’s that, you say? Well, every month there is a different promotion that will get you a lucky dip capsule, with a surprise inside. A lot of them are for fun Jewel Envy-themed merch, but some lucky people will find a golden ticket inside, and they’ll get to pick their choice from the more than 15 pieces of jewellery curated just for this! There are necklaces, and earrings as well as a ring, brooch and cufflinks!

Pics of a few of the pieces up for grabs, to intrigue you – visit us in studio to see the rest!

A few more of the pieces!

In April, any repair will give you a chance to find the golden ticket! Next month will be something different. Now that spring is starting to make itself known, why not venture out to see us and explore what is new in the studio? Looking forward to seeing you soon!

-Robin.

Broken cuff restored! Another complex fix done that included making sure we repeated the patterned section and hammered into shape alongside the customer to get the perfect fit.

Our goldsmiths Zoey and Hayat will be at the Spring One Of A Kind show starting April 9th to the 12th. Go show your support for local makers at OOAK!

Sterling silver brooch by Zoey Perse.

Zoey’s collections capture the quiet wonder of walking along the shore or in the garden, discovering small treasures shaped by the sea and the land. Each piece reflects that simple, irresistible moment when nature offers you something beautiful to hold.

Visit Zoey’s OOAK profile for more info: https://profiles.oneofakindshow.com/explore/artisan.php?id=e8241212_1771529055

Necklace by Hayatii Gold.

Hayat’s designs often feature organic forms such as flowers and natural textures, celebrating individuality and quiet elegance. Because every piece is made by hand, no two are ever exactly alike, each one is a small, wearable work of art.

Visit Hayat’s OOAK profile for more info: https://profiles.oneofakindshow.com/explore/artisan.php?id=5ed84a19_1771529057