I can’t get over how fitting these Jewel Envy boxes are! Take home a piece of jewellery packaged in one of these!
-Theresa
Jewel-ception
A Few of My Favourite Things…
Since Jewel Envy moved to lower Roncy I’ve been able to walk to work. I live in the High Park area so I typically take Parkside and then wander through the residential back roads. My walks sure have been getting a lot nicer lately. Today the sun is shining, it’s about 3°C but I swear it feels like 10. I’ve ditched the winter coat and boots and the ever imposing earmuffs. Don’t get me wrong, I love my earmuffs, I get compliments on them all the time, but my one gripe with them is I find wearing earrings soooo uncomfortable with them! Anyone else? Therefore, as the warm weather also demands the hair be put up, Spring and Summer are earring season. BIG ridiculous earring season…ok not that big if you don’t feel like it. Here are some of my favourite Spring time pins from Pinterest to get you inspired, then come on down to Jewel Envy because we have pretty fabulous ridiculous (and simple and classy) earrings over here.
Follow me on Pinterest too if you like 🙂 https://pinterest.com/toastisgreat
-L
Yes, that is gold leafed cake at the bottom.
Toronto International Jewellery Festival
What do you know about the Toronto International Jewellery Festival (TIJF – www.tijf.info)?
It is a month long jewellery festival that will showcase the talent of Canadian goldsmiths through dozens of exhibitions across the city. It is the first ever of its kind in Toronto and here at Jewel Envy, we are involved in a few of the exhibitions, including our own, New Life. (https://tijf.info/jewel-envy)
Jewel Envy invited past and present members of the studio to interpret
the theme “New Life” through the creation of art jewellery pieces. Some very interesting pieces have been created (believe me, I’ve seen a few!) and the show is going to be a great one! The opening is May 3 from 5-10pm, and the work will be on display for the entire month of May.
Another exhibition that will feature the work of JE goldsmiths Amanda Henderson and Fatima Tataragic, is called Emotions: Fury to Joy. (www.facebook.com/pages/Emotions-Fury-to-Joy/206582876149780) This show asks the participating artists to take an emotional journey from fury to joy with two stops in between. The two middle emotions are up to the artist and will tell an emotional story. The work on display will be each artists interpretation of the emotions into personal adornment.
The final exhibition (that we know about right now, we are awaiting the announcement of judging results for more exhibitions), is called 45 Years in the Making (www.45YearsInTheMaking.com). This exhibition will showcase the talent and skill of George Brown College’s jewellery program alumni. We have many GBC grads here that will be featured, including Gillian Batcher, Lauren Hanham, Amber Thomas-Penchoff, and Kathryn Rebecca Pitt, who is sadly no longer with Jewel Envy. It is being organized by me, Amanda Henderson.
These are only three of the 3 dozen TIJF exhibitions that are so far announced. I hope you are all as excited as I am for May!
Amanda
Spring is Here!
Yes, I know, it’s still freezing outside but technically it will be spring on Wednesday. On top of the weather warming up, flowers blooming and choices in fashion expanding away from a parka and boots, it’s the One of a Kind Spring Show and Sale!
Two of our Jewel Envy artists and friends will be participating this year. Theresa Duong of Theresa Duong Arts, and Kathryn Rebecca Pitt of Kathryn Rebecca. Click on their names to read their OOAK profiles.
Theresa will be in booth K-35
Kathryn will be in booth G-47.
The shows runs from March 27th to 31st at Toronto’s Direct Energy Centre. Check out their site here.
-L
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| Kathryn Rebecca’s “Wildflower: Daisies” Earrings |
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| Theresa Duong’s “Wearable Book Rings and Bangles” |
A Little Pop Culture, A Little Old Tradition
There’s certain pieces of jewellery that are quite definitive in pop culture. Like the “Heart of the Ocean” necklace in Titanic, or that gigantic diamond collar Nicole Kidman’s character Satine wears in Moulin Rouge. Today I was thinking about a more subtle piece of jewellery in pop culture and, being a traditional Irish symbol of love, kind of goes with the month of March and St. Patrick’s day coming up next week.
Anyone who knows me knows I am a diehard Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan. Any chance I get to talk about Buffy I welcome with great excitement. I grew up with the show, premiering in 1996 when I was just 11 years old and probably had no business watching such a scarey program. But something in the dark comedic stylings of Joss Whedon grabbed hold of me and never let go.
Another one of Joss’s writing talents is a tragic romance of epic proportions. A slayer and a vampire in love? Oh yes, and that vampire was the most ruthless vicious vampire of all time and some gypsies cursed him with a soul so he would suffer for all of eternity! There were tears, there action packed fights, there were moments where our hearts skipped a beat, and there was the time Angel gave Buffy this:
And then this happened…
And then we all died when this happened…
Then some other PG13 stuff happened that I won’t post here but back to the ring!
Angel, or Liam as was his human name, was from Ireland originally. I don’t know what happened to his accent but he did keep one Irish tradition going when he gave Buff that Claddagh ring. A heart representing love, hands representing friendship, and a crown representing loyalty. The way you wear it is determined by your martial status. It’s worn on the right hand with the point of the heart toward the fingertips if
the wearer is single, on the right hand with the point of the heart toward the wrist if the
wearer is in a relationship, on the left hand with the point of the heart toward the fingertips if the wearer is engaged, and on the left hand with the point of the heart toward the wrist if the wearer is married.
the wearer is single, on the right hand with the point of the heart toward the wrist if the
wearer is in a relationship, on the left hand with the point of the heart toward the fingertips if the wearer is engaged, and on the left hand with the point of the heart toward the wrist if the wearer is married.
Hopefully if someone gives you a Claddagh ring you get to wear it longer than Buff Buff did :s
-Lauren
This is a pair of Victorian style inspired custom earring. Mr. Chang was a
romantic man whom had this picture in his mind that what jewellery would
look lovely on his girlfriend. We had couple rounds of exchange in
ideas and this is what we finalized with.
There involved many steps of fabrication and planning, since they had
lots of elements to go on one piece. It has two layers of petals with a
pearl in the center. There are wires hanging down freely with yellow
sapphires set at the end. Also, they were 24k yellow gold plated
partially on sterling silver to give it an antique look.
ChiaChien
Luminescence: The Silver of Peru
Got the February/March blahs? It’s been kind of grey outside, but grey isn’t always so bad. Especially when it’s shiny! There’s a cool exhibition in town of the silver of Peru, pre-Columbian to present. It’s actually been in town since January 15 but it’s still on until March 9th. I haven’t been out too much in the past couple of weeks nevermind taken the subway, so I was pleasently surprised when I saw a poster for this:
There’s also a public lecture this Wednesday the 27th.
You can read more about it here!
Hang in there, the flowers will be back soon.
-Lauren
More Wearable Books!
Hi friends!
Here’s a sneak peak at what I’ve been up to getting ready for the One Of A Kind Spring Show!
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| Collection of book rings and bangles |
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| What it looks like being worn as a closed book |
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| What it looks like flipped around! |
Come see these and other book related jewellery and things in person! The One Of A Kind Spring Show runs from March 27th – 31st!
See you there!
-Theresa
Create Your Own Heart
Everyday can be your Valentine’s Day. This guy came to me and asked
me to design a double J heart necklace for his girlfriend. I think he is
very clever and thoughtful. Among all the designs I gave him, this is
the one he picked. The captial J is masculine and thick symbolizing man,
and the samll j is curvy and orgainic representing woman. A white
sappire is set in the center to give it a touch of bling. Instead of
wearing it like a heart, I simply put a knot on the chain connecting to
the pendant. He not only included himself into the pendant, but also
gave the heart another level of meaning, just for the her.
Awwww….cute….
Sterling sliver and white sapphire.
by Ellolite
Recycling Gold
Hello to you all on this snowy February day!
I know it is cold out, but this might help warm you up!
Have you ever wondered about recycling gold, and what that is all about? Well, I’m here to give you the down low. The truth is that all goldsmiths recycle their gold and silver. When we end up with enough scraps, we take it to the refiner. They take those scraps and refine them into clean material to be used again!
Sometimes we can reuse our scraps ourselves without going to the refiner. If we have clean scraps – they have to be completely free of solder and and impurities, or it will just taint all of the metal- we can melt them down ourselves and work them into new sheet metal or wire. But usually, we cast with them. This is the same way that we can take old jewellery (but again, it must be completely free old solder and impurities) and make it into new jewellery! When we make anything out of old metal, we have to add at least an equal amount of new metal. After metal has been used once, it starts to get dirty and “tired”, by adding new metal it “refreshes” the old metal so that it can be used again.
Here we start off with the metals separate. 24K, pure gold on the left, the “old” gold in the middle, and the alloy metal- that is copper and silver we add it to change the colour (white, rose, etc) and lower the karat (18K, 14K, 10K, etc). In these pictures, we are also heating the crucible, a special melting bowl, and a carbon rod, used for stirring the metal.
Here a couple really cool photos of the metal melting. We add the metal in a certain order to keep the metal as clean as possible. Pure gold will oxidize less, so that goes first, then the “old” gold, then the alloy.
Time to pour the metal!
And there is the lovely new 18K gold.
Ready to be cast into new jewellery!
Here is a gold fox made by Sasha Oda
Now you know that goldsmiths were the first to be eco-friendly! It is a lot of work to reuse metal, but when it is possible, it is the option that we prefer. Here at Jewel Envy, we are lucky to have our own casting equipment. Without it, it would be impossible to reuse our metal.
Thanks for stopping by!
If you’re willing to brave the snow, stop by Jewel Envy, and bring me a hot chocolate.
Amanda