Hi everyone! Today’s blog post is about my summer/ fall and holiday season. My name is Eunice Lin and I’m a member at Jewel Envy and have been since Summer. I love working in this space. Everyone is so friendly and supportive and helpful. (not trying to make this sound like a review)
So for the past few months I have been attending all shows to sell my work. Some were in Toronto, some were further away from Toronto and my furthest one was in Hamilton at Craftadian. When I wasn’t attending shows, I was making jewellery. It has been a very busy few months so it’s nice to finally have a break.
You can find all my jewellery now at Jewel Envy! Come visit! And you can follow me on my journey at
We have about 7 more days of shopping opportunities until the studio is closed for the holidays! Never fear, though, there’s still time to bag a beautiful, handmade piece of jewellery for someone special (including yourself 🙂 from the studio. We have a great range of styles and price points from 15 designers, and there’s some exciting new work that has gone out just before the holidays to tempt you! Come in and browse for your last minute gifts. And we love it when you stop in and say hello too!
A (very) small selection (teaser) of what you can find at the studio.
starting top left: folded sterling silver with pearls, small bead studs, hammered sterling silver circle pendant with lapis beads, 14kt yellow gold pendant with two colours of sapphire, sterling silver circle flower bracelet
Don’t forget, we’re open Sunday 12-6pm, then Tuesday/Wednesday 10-6pm, Thursday-Saturday 11- 7pm, and we’ll be open our regular hours (12-6pm) on Christmas Eve. Then we too will be taking a break until January 2nd, when we’ll be open our regular hours again.
Chapter 3 – What type of clasp should my necklace have?
There are many types of clasps and not all of them are created equally. Spring rings are the most used clasp in commercial jewellery, and the cheapest clasp with the highest rate of breakage.
If you want to upgrade a chain without buying a new one, have a jeweller change your spring ring to a lobster clasp. It operates in a similar way but is just a little heftier and more reliable for keeping your clasp safely attached.
Toggle clasps are often used as accents in the design of a piece and are strong provided they have the correct proportions.
At toggle clasp is most commonly a ring with a bar that goes through it but they can be other shapes as well.
The bar must be at least two times the inside diameter of the circle they are pushed through. For non -geometric shapes take the longest diameter of the space and multiply it by two for the length of the bar. There must be some weight to the chain for this clasp to work as it is held in place by both sides of the chain pulling away from each other.
Magnetic clasps can be perfect for people who have a hard time manipulating regular clasps. They have rare earth magnets inside, which are stronger than regular magnets. Beware they can interfere with things like pacemakers and hearing aids, if you have either of these you must check with your doctor before wearing them.
’20 Tips on maintaining our Jewellery’, Gillian E. Batcher, 2013
We had a client come across an exciting vintage piece with their initials – it was a bit worse for wear, but an exciting piece with possibilities. The original was made with a yellow base metal with a build up of a patina and the chain along the right edge had fallen off. To secure the chain back in place I created a thicker base with wider loops; I mounted the original in the center using rivets. After a vigorous clean the majority was silver plated and as a final touch gold plating was added to the letters. A vintage revamp done right! now it is ready to be worn once again. – Alexis
Did a recent update for a piece! sometimes a layout or technique doesn’t wear in the way that you hope – but never fear, changes can always be made! – Alexis
Initially for the Pendant I wanted the chain to move along the perimeter, but because it was on an especially long chain it was constantly flipping over. And while initially the patina was a great way to bring character to the pendant, it did start to wear off on the high points distorting the details.
I soldered the jump rings permanently to the chain, no more flipping around now! Soldering removed the patina and instead of reapplying I switched it up to an enamel. I love the depth of colour a couple of layers gave along with the transparency so that you are still seeing details and texture.
I often use so many blue gemstones in my work, I was very excited to have just finished combining two of my favourites, lapis lazuli and turquoise, to create an evil eye pendant.
– Alexis Kostuk
Both the turquoise and the lapis lazuli started as cabochon shapes. I carved into the lapis lazuli first to fit the turquoise into it.
Stacking and layering with a black onyx at the center.
The finished necklace. *I used a studio chain to photograph this, the client has their own chain to wear it with!*
It’s Remembrance Day today, which is making me think about how we should learn from our past. With everything going on, I’m finding the day more poignant than usual. Maybe it’s a bit naive, but wouldn’t it be great if we could all make a concerted effort to be kinder and more understanding of each other.
Poppy field (credit: https://nicubunu.ro/pictures/photoblog/poppy-field.jpg)
Of course, Remembrance Day makes me think of crosses, so if that’s your thing, here are some traditional and less traditional ones to mark the day!
Here at Jewel Envy, we love guiding students through the lows and highs of a new skill. It is so satisfying to watch someone go from the wonder of taking in a sample, to the synaptic fireworks of attempting a new practice, to the awe and celebration of accomplishment.
Instructor Robin wields her wax pen like a magic wand.
We have one more class scheduled for 2023, so check out our calendar and sign up asap to increase your skill set with something shiny and beautiful.
Chains take a lot of abuse from daily wear. They rub against your skin, clothes, other accessories and are frequently pulled. Even gentle pressure affects their strength. Depending on current styles, chains may be sold that are actually too fine for everyday wear.
They may even be made from gold or platinum, but if they break frequently, they are experiencing a heavier use than what was intended in their manufacture.
If the chain is really thin, it is not meant for everyday wear. It cannot hold a lot of weight, i.e. a large or heavy pendant, and will most likely break over time.
To determine the quality of costume chains, examine the links. If they are not soldered shut, meaning there is a break in the links, they can easily be pulled apart. This is more of a concern for small to fine chains than larger thicker diameter link chains.
Small chains that have links less than 1mm in thickness are most secure when there is no break in them. Chains made from stainless steel or titanium are quite strong, but it is still important to make sure they cannot slip out from each other at the point where links have a break in them.
Some chains have what is called a break away jump ring on at least one side of the claps. Do not confuse this with poor craftsmanship as this is considered a safety precaution. In the event a chain becomes caught on something, the unsoldered jump ring will allow the chain to break away first before the wearer can be choked.
’20 Tips on maintaining our Jewellery’, Gillian E. Batcher, 2013
