Well this is it, my last blog post. I have finished my co-op placement at Jewel Envy and tomorrow is my last day. Last week the studio took me out for Thai food for my goodbye dinner and after working at the studio for 6 months it is a little sad to say goodbye. I have gained so many valuable skills while at the studio and I am really grateful to have had this opportunity. Doing this co-op has made me realise just how much I love to make jewellery and it is definitely something that I want to pursue in the future. So where am I going from here? well in September I will attending the Ontario College of Art and Design and I will see where that takes me in the future. I know that all I have been taught here by all the designers at the studio will be a great help to me while at university, especially if I stick with my decision to study jewellery design. Well I guess this is goodbye. I want to thank everyone at the studio for all they have taught me, I promise to visit and keep in touch. Bye 🙂  

                                                                                                            -Laura

Hello,
My name is Kathryn Rebecca.
I recently had the pleasure of joining Jewel Envy Studio. I graduated from George Brown College in 2007 and have since been working in the industry.

I am so excited to finally be a part of a studio and creating items for my new collection.  This new collection is inspired by the beauty of Muskoka and the urban landscpape of Toronto. I have been working hard to complete the collection for fall 2010. This collection first began with the piece below. It was one of the last projects I did while studying at George Brown College.

I loved creating this piece which has inspired me to develop more pieces in the same type of style.

I look foward to sharing my progress with you!

*Kathryn

(i bet your singing the sympathy for the devil song..woo hoo, woo hoo)
(well, if you weren’t you are now! hehe)

Hi, my name is Sarah.I have recently moved back to Toronto after a five year hiatus. I discovered jewel envy studio while still in Ibiza, met with Gillian just three days after arriving and have been happily working away ever since.

I am currently developing my magic mushroom line (its really colourful and fun) as well as my chocolate chip cookie line.

You can check out my jewellery at www.sarahdegasperis.com
or at the jewel envy website.

ciaoooo

There are times when after beginning a jewellery project — a ring, for example — I find it taking on a form of its own choosing. The ring I had carefully designed urges me to bring it to life as a pendant. The earrings I had planned soon morph into a ring, while the cufflinks I had imagined, unhappy at the prospect of spending quiet and subtle lives at the end of a sleeve, beg me to let them flirt, prominently dangled from an earlobe instead.

And so it is with life. When I joined the Jewel Envy studio back in October, I had no firm idea of what I would be getting myself into. I had recently returned to Canada after spending a couple of years taking an intensive jewellery-making course in my native Korea. Initially I thought that I would simply rent a bench in Toronto and work very much alone. Little did I realize that in finding Jewel Envy I had stumbled upon a highly creative and supportive setting in which I would be able to learn and grow as a jeweller. Now that I’m here, I’m comfortable. I can ask questions about certain techniques and there is always someone who knows the answer. We collaborate and plan ways of promoting our work as a group. Yes, I rent a bench, but at the same time, I feel that this is MY studio. It’s hard to believe, but I’ve already been part of Jewel Envy for six months. I have the feeling that the next six months are going to be even more creative and fulfilling than the first six!

Young Kyoung Ko

Hello all ~ First of all, I want to thank my students, Monika and Ann learning patiently with me in 8 weeks intro-fabrication class. Jewellery fabrication require lots of patient and focus. There are lots of details we need to be aware of while making our own jewellery. It may sounds a little too much, but NO!!! You guys did it so well! I am very proud of you guys whom conquered all difficulties.
Here are my students final projects. They chose to do bangle. It is interesting to see how they come up with different design with characteristic of their own.

Work by Ann Hart
Ann decided to use saw and piercing technique to create a sense of negative and positive surface. Her inspiration was came from her last name, ” Heart”/ Hart. It is her symbolic sign to her, and she is also a very passionate lady!
Good Job!

Work by Monika Weber
Monika applied many techniques that she learned in classes. There are saw and piercing, riveting and soldering. She created depth while riveting brass circles on top of sterling silver bangle. Circles are in different sizes to show an excitement of 2D surface.
Great Work!

The next intro-fabrication has started. I am very excited to see what works they will come up with.
to be continued…….

ChiaChien Tsai

I would have to say it was the Morganite and the White Gold Alchemy Singing bowls.

Ciao!
 I promised to post pictures with flocking and now I am here to deliver.  I have to be honest – right now my brain is full of mush since I have spent a lot of my time worrying about my application to the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition.  Now to wait for a reply… and back to why I originally was here to post (geez, I’m so easily distracted).  Story time.  I bought three pieces of turquoise back in 2004 on a trip to New Mexico with my dad.  On the plane ride there I found $40 next to the buckle of my seat belt on the airplane and I used that money in a casino that night and won all my spending money for the trip (woohoo!)  My dad and I ended up going to every Museum and Gallery that exists is Albuquerque and Sante Fe (I was obsessed with Georgia O’Keefe in high school, so I was basically in hog heaven).  While at the Turquoise Museum  I spent a half hour choosing from a collection and ended up with three pieces.  The others I used fairly quickly.  

The first I used to create a wave necklace.

Then I decided since it was such a memorable trip for me that I should keep a piece of turquoise for myself and I created this ring. 

Then the last piece of turquoise sat in a cupboard for a long time. Until a few weeks ago when the idea for this piece popped into my brain and I was so excited to finish making it.

It is interesting to note that the first and last pieces of turquoise pictured are both from the same mine (now exhausted called “Number 8” in Nevada).  

My work is continually influenced by how people attach memories to objects and trying to objectify memories.  I am so happy with how this brooch came out.  Lastly, since this post was originally supposed to be about flocking (holy turquoise tangent batman) I should point out that the bright blue and cream area of the piece is flocked!