Is this even worth fixing or selling or should I just throw it out?
Some pieces are not worth the effort or cost to fix.
There comes a point when you must be willing to let go of things you have enjoyed wearing. This point arrives sooner for a lot of costume jewellery than jewellery made from precious metals, but it does happen for both types.
It is time to let go when the only thing holding your jewellery together is glue and it has been fixed that way multiple times.
Listen to your jeweller. If they tell you they can fix something but it will break again you should be asking if there is something else that could be done to fix it, or if it should just be put to rest. Honest jewellers will advise against repairs they know will just come back with the same problem repeatedly.
If you find your jewellery is breaking often, you may want to invest in higher quality pieces. Higher quality does not have to mean more expensive materials or stones, just that it is made with more care for the longevity of the piece to withstand more frequent wear. Do not be fooled into thinking luxury brands are better because they are more expensive. Quality is not dictated by price, but rather it is a reflection of how well the item is crafted.
Glue rarely says well made!
’20 Tips on maintaining our Jewellery’, Gillian E. Batcher, 2013
Today in our studio, we have a group of makers who are learning from Gillian, how to apply textile techniques to metal.
They are learning how to make samples of these techniques, and consulting with Gillian on their idea for beautiful jewellery they can make to showcase their new skills.
How would you apply these techniques?
If you are interested in learning, take a look at our new courses coming up. If you’d have someone create your ideas for you, reach out to us regarding custom design.
Happy Saturday!! With the summer, has come a change in the windows display at Jewel Envy. It’s a bit different from our recent displays: one window is a fibre art collaboration piece, and the other two contain some fibre/silver jewellery pieces.
What’s that? You say? Well, about two years ago, I met a lovely fibre artist, Carolina Reis, when I was doing a studio tour show. I was a guest in her house, and we got to talking about all things fibre. One of Carolina’s interests is in networks (mostly social, community, etc.). Well, I like fibre art, and there are lots of networks in immunology, so I suggested we do a collaboration. This piece entitled (IMM)UNITY was the final result!
This is a bit of a teaser – it’s really better to see it in person! Also, there’s quite a long explanation about the intentions and concepts of the piece that is posted along with it. Made from quilted embroidered panels, and joined with crocheted cotton elements to make a whole, it incorporates (among other things), the feeling of togetherness, connection, and conflicting ideas, as well as representations of different cells, systems and concepts around vaccination and the immune system.
In the other two windows, I’ve placed a complementary series of necklaces and brooches, that I’ve called Portholes on Immunity, and mostly (but not entirely) is an homage to different cell types of the immune system. When I was thinking about making this series, I was reminded of various sci-fi films where you see people shrunk into miniature, along with their little submarine, journeying through the blood. So, these are how I imagine cells would look from the porthole window on a teeny tiny vessel in the blood.
This is a large multi-panel necklace. Again, the pictorial elements are embroidered quilted panels that I made, with some trapunto effects (this is a quilting technique where you add additional batting layers in selected parts to raise the profile). The panels are inset into sterling silver frames, or portholes.
This is the last window – a series of four brooches, and a single pendant necklace, using similar techniques to the above necklace. And bonus – there I am trying to take a picture without too much reflection (clearly that wasn’t entirely successful!).
If you’re passing by the studio this month, I hope you’ll try and take a look – they are all much more interesting in person! The large necklace is not for sale, but if you’re interested in any of the brooches, or the single panel necklace, stop in and ask us about them! Given the fabric nature of the pieces, they won’t be up for long, they will probably come down by the middle of July at the latest to avoid any sun damage.
Enjoy the nice weather, whatever you’re doing, and hope to see you soon!
Laser welding is the process of using a laser beam to melt metal at the point two pieces are attached together. The beam produced is so fine that it can be done next to stones and held in the and during the process. It produces minimal heat outside of the joint and is therefore safe to use next to many stones that cannot take any heat.
Laser welding is often the savior of many complicated repairs that were simply not possible in the past. But it cannot be used for everything. Trying to do so runs you the risk of losing important treasures.
It is an alternative to soldering for repairs when heating an entire piece would damage the jewellery. Laser welding does not use solder, the same metal as the piece being repaired is heated with the laser and melted directly into the cavity or areas to be joined. Consider a laser welder when stones are soft or porous, intricate metal work may melt with reheating, glue has been used on other areas of the piece, to fill pits in the metal and more.
Laser welding works best when metal can be melted into a “v” shaped cavity and filled from the bottom of the ”v” to the top. It does not work well when used to put metal over a flush joint as it does not heat a large enough area to allow metal to flow between the two pieces. When it is used over a flat joint, the area that has been laser welded ends up looking similar to a soft solder joint as metal needs to be spread over both sides of metals being joined; the metal around the join does not become hot enough for metal to flow through the joint.
’20 Tips on maintaining our Jewellery’, Gillian E. Batcher, 2013
Summer is about to start and a few of the goldsmiths at Jewel Envy will be doing some shows selling their one of a kind creations.
Starting with June, I will be attending 2 shows in June where you can find my work.
The first show is Signatures at The Beaches – Kew Gardens show on June 8th and June 9th from 10am to 6pm on both days! Here is the link ! https://beachesartsandcrafts.com/ Not only will you find me but also other Canadian handmade!
The second show in June I will be attending will be Artistry-by-the-lake at the picturesque Niagara on the Lake. It will be on June 29th, 30th and 1st from 10am to 6pm each day. https://www.niagaraonthelake.com/artistry-by-the-lake
That’s it for June! I hope to see you all there. :))
The gemstone for May is emerald. It is the standard for anything beautifully green – Emerald City, Emerald Isle, Emerald… green. It is gorgeous, just like our May babies. Spring has finally sprung and the greens are appearing everywhere. We hope you enjoy them!
You might already know about this, but Science Rendezvous is happening a week today at the U of T St. George campus. If you don’t know about it, it’s a fun, family-friendly day out with lots of STEAM-related activities and exhibitions, including a Science Fair, a Science Chase (a science experiment obstacle course, how cool is that), something called SR Hacks (a coding and engineering competition), and, of course, the SciArt Gallery – which is where you’ll find me (Robin of House of Cassady)!
I did the SciArt Gallery last year, too, and it was amazing. It was so fun meeting loads of the public, talking about my work, and finding new people to geek out with about science and immunology. What more could I want? I also met other fascinating sciartists and enjoyed their art. So, I am excited about exhibiting again this year, on May 11th.
Brooch – Sterling silver/embroidered quilted panel, brown oakshott cotton. Inspired by ultrastructure of the intestines and the lymphocytes that circulate there (ask me more if you’re interested!)
Whenever I do an exhibition or a show, I try to have some new work. This year, I’m hoping to share the collaboration I did with Carolina Reis last year (you can read about it in another blog entry), called IMMUNITY. Alongside the art piece, I made a series of mixed media jewellery (like the brooch above). I hope that many will see it and experience it. If you miss it next Saturday, it will take up residence in the windows along Roncevalles at the studio for a couple of months. Keep a look out for it, and stop in and tell me what you think about it!
In the meantime, enjoy the lovely weather that we’ve been having :).
I love a good stacking ring. They’re smallish, and each one can be a bit different, letting you put them together in different ways. Here’s my pick for today:
Rings by Robin (House of Cassady) in sterling silver with: Pearl, hammered texture bands, blue topaz and amethyst).
How do you like to wear yours rings? Leave us a comment, or visit us in studio for a chat :).
