Blog of Jewellery and Goldsmiths at Jewel Envy

Tucson Gem & Mineral Show

January 21, 2024January 21, 2024Jewel EnvyGeneral

The largest, oldest and most prestigious gem and mineral show in the world.

The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show has enjoyed international stature since the 1970s, and was the first gem and mineral show to bring the hobby enthusiast, the public, and the curator/professionals together for discovery and discussion. February 8th through 11th.

Three members of Jewel Envy will be in attendance, hunting for fun and interesting gems for future works! Looking for a custom piece in the future? Reach out and let us know and we can keep an eye out.

The show consists of educational talks, raw and processed gem/minerals for sale, exhibitions, and even field trips! It has something for both hobbyists and professionals, adults and children. If you *love* gems and minerals, this is definitely something to keep in mind to attend!!

Glovely Choices

January 14, 2024January 14, 2024Jewel EnvyGeneral

Now that the holiday breaks are over and we find ourselves outside in actual winter weather, it is time to bundle up each day we leave our door. Cold means gloves. Gloves mean slick ring choices to fit easily inside those gloves. Here are some beautiful choices for everyday winter wear, from fashion to commitment rings:

As for the gorgeous rings you already have, it is also a good time to come by and get the prongs holding in your stones checked. Scarves, hats, sweaters, mittens and gloves can have just the right type of thread to pull back an unchecked, worn tip, and have you frantically looking for your precious gems. From experience, we can tell you that the stones can be launched, drop out right away, or hang in for weeks before a bump lets them loose. It costs nothing to have us take a look and do a quick, simple check. If you find your jewellery is feeling “catchy” lately, or you’ve already lost a stone, or you want to make sure everything is alright ahead of time, we are happy to help!

Filigree

January 7, 2024January 7, 2024Jewel EnvyGeneral

Did you know, filigree was invented about 5000 years ago in the middle east? It is a very unique style of jewellery making.

When you see intricate metalwork consisting of twisted/ interwoven fine wires, that is filigree. Its not just wires but threads too and these very thin wires are twisted together to create beautiful intricate patterns. These patterns are then placed together and soldered together to make jewellery whether it be rings, earrings or pendants.

Above picture are a pair of earrings made by one of Jewel Envy’s resident goldsmiths called Shafiq Sarwari featuring said filigree. His type of earrings are ‘openwork’ filigree’. When I say openwork filigree, that means there is no backing in his design. This style of filigree has a lace like quality and he hand twisted and coiled each delicate coil.

Come in to Jewel Envy to take a closer look!

See you guys next time,

Eunice

New Year, New You!

January 6, 2024January 6, 2024Jewel EnvyGeneral

Happy New Year! Hope you had a good break. I really have a love-hate relationship with January (because I get older this month!). If, like me, you want a little pick-me-up, come into the studio, peruse/try something on, and (dare I say it!) treat yourself to something new. Like this recent commission for a sterling silver fidget ring!

Ready-to-wear jewellery, bespoke pieces, re-designs of jewellery you love to hate, repairs of all kinds and jewellery making classes, we do it all! Come in and talk to us about what you need/want to have done, or just stop in and say hi! On a grey day like today, it’s always nice to see a friendly face!

Happy Saturday!

-Robin.

The Holidays are Here!

December 20, 2023Jewel EnvyGeneral

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

IG: eunice.l.designs .

It’s the countdown!

December 16, 2023December 16, 2023Jewel EnvyGeneral

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.

What type of clasp should my necklace have?

December 9, 2023December 9, 2023Jewel EnvyGeneral

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

Vintage Revamp

December 3, 2023Jewel EnvyGeneral

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

What to do in the dead of winter?

November 19, 2023December 3, 2023Jewel EnvyGeneral

Jewel Envy will be holding many many classes in January!

There are the ONE DAY classes:

One day bezel setting.
One day gem setting prep class
One day Band Ring class

Then there are the more intensive and longer classes!

8 week Intro Fabrication class
8 week gemsetting class
8 week introductory and intermediate casting class.

Come and join us! It will be fun!

Changes

November 18, 2023November 18, 2023Jewel EnvyGeneral

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