As you may have noticed, Jewel Envy is celebrating its 20th year, and celebrating in style! All year long, there are special things happening, including our “golden ticket” to win a unique piece of jewellery from one of Jewel Envy’s member goldsmiths!
What’s that, you say? Well, every month there is a different promotion that will get you a lucky dip capsule, with a surprise inside. A lot of them are for fun Jewel Envy-themed merch, but some lucky people will find a golden ticket inside, and they’ll get to pick their choice from the more than 15 pieces of jewellery curated just for this! There are necklaces, and earrings as well as a ring, brooch and cufflinks!
Pics of a few of the pieces up for grabs, to intrigue you – visit us in studio to see the rest!
A few more of the pieces!
In April, any repair will give you a chance to find the golden ticket! Next month will be something different. Now that spring is starting to make itself known, why not venture out to see us and explore what is new in the studio? Looking forward to seeing you soon!
This year I was able to attend Munich Jewellery Week & Schmuck at the Internationale Handwerkmesse in Munich, Germany. This annual event represent one of the largest meeting places for international contemporary jewellery. Here are some of my favourite pieces I saw during the week, some more traditional and some more avant-garde.
Art Jewelry Forum Young Artist Award winner Benedict Haener’s glass necklace.
Silvie Altschuler – Earrings
Keith Lewis’ Descend (Icarus)
David Bielander’s ‘Cardboard’ Ring (made from gold!)
Complex gold watch repair done by goldsmith Edna Milevsky. We cannot emphasize enough the complexity or weaving the end back into place! Our student brought back their fabulous piece to show off the finished necklace after she spent time adding beads! This piece was created in our 8 Week Introductory Fabrication class.
Broken cuff restored! Another complex fix done that included making sure we repeated the patterned section and hammered into shape alongside the customer to get the perfect fit.
Our goldsmiths Zoey and Hayat will be at the Spring One Of A Kind show starting April 9th to the 12th. Go show your support for local makers at OOAK!
Sterling silver brooch by Zoey Perse.
Zoey’s collections capture the quiet wonder of walking along the shore or in the garden, discovering small treasures shaped by the sea and the land. Each piece reflects that simple, irresistible moment when nature offers you something beautiful to hold.
Hayat’s designs often feature organic forms such as flowers and natural textures, celebrating individuality and quiet elegance. Because every piece is made by hand, no two are ever exactly alike, each one is a small, wearable work of art.
We love (and do!) a lot of custom jewellery design here at Jewel Envy. It’s so much fun (and sometimes frustration!) helping to bring a vision for a unique piece to life. And we’ve had a lot of interesting requests over the years! A few years ago, a couple came into the studio wanting a custom brooch for the groom. This may seem like an odd thing, but the couple had Scottish Ancestry, and the groom was planning to be kilted and plaided for his wedding clothes. Part of the outfit is often what’s called a fly plain (basically a big plaid scarf) worn over one shoulder and secured with a sizeable brooch. It was a bit opportune, as my grandmother was Scottish, I lived in Scotland for some time, and I had been thinking about plaid brooches and kilt pins for a while (but not gotten actually made any), so here was a great project for me! I’ve worked on a few of these, and am currently working on a new one!
First brooch – stag antlers, and the initial were special requests from the client, with the rope, the laurel wreath and the guantlet elements from the Mackinlay clan crest. There were a lot of small details, so we oxidized parts of the frame to really make it pop! (Just FYI, the tartan shown is not the Mackinlay tartan!)
This was another commission, based on the Clan MacKay crest – the client wanted the motto in a specific font, and the rest we developed together.
Now I’m working on a new commission based on the MacPherson clan crest. I have a few ideas, but the sketches are not quite there yet for sharing! But whatever I do, I think it’s going to include that cat (tongue and all)!
If you have something you’ve been thinking about, and want to make it a reality, come in and chat to us about it! Quotes are free, and we try our best to meet you on budget!
Since the beginning of time, people have worn jewellery. The earliest known traces of jewellery date back to the Middle Stone Age, showing that personal adornment has been part of human culture for tens of thousands of years. Archaeologists have discovered some of the oldest examples in Bizmoune Cave in Morocco, where 33 perforated marine shell beads made from the species Tritia gibbosula were found. These beads are estimated to be around 142,000 years old, making them the oldest known jewellery currently identified. The shells were deliberately pierced and likely strung together as necklaces or attached to clothing. Because the shells originated from the coast—roughly 50 km away—researchers believe early humans intentionally collected and transported them, suggesting symbolic or social meaning rather than accidental accumulation.
Another important discovery comes from Blombos Cave in South Africa, where archaeologists uncovered 41 perforated shells from the species Nassarius kraussianus dating to about 75,000 years ago. These shells were selected for their similar size and had small holes drilled through them, with wear marks indicating they were strung together as beads. Some also contain traces of red ochre pigment, suggesting they were either painted or worn by individuals who used body pigments. The discovery provided strong evidence that early humans were already engaging in symbolic behavior, using jewellery to communicate identity, social status, or group membership. (Scientific American)
Evidence from other archaeological sites supports the idea that jewellery-making was widespread among early humans. Similar pierced shell ornaments made from Nassarius shells have been found at sites in Israel, Algeria, and Morocco, some dating to around 100,000 years ago. These artifacts are considered early forms of personal adornment and are often associated with the emergence of symbolic thinking and social communication in early Homo sapiens. The consistent design and evidence of wear suggest these objects were not random decorations but meaningful cultural items used to signal identity, relationships, or group affiliation in prehistoric societies.
Sources
Guinness World Records – “Oldest jewellery” (Bizmoune Cave beads) (Guinness World Records)
Scientific American – “Ancient Shells May Be Earliest Jewels” (Scientific American)
The African History – “The world’s oldest jewellery is from Africa c. 75,000 years ago” (The African History)
Wikipedia – Nassarius (archaeological use and early shell beads) (Wikipedia)
Jewellery tarnishes as a result of exposure to the oxygen in air. This process is called oxidation.
Oxidation can be used decoratively in Jewellery that you see as blackened areas but will also occur naturally over time. You can minimize this natural chemical reaction by keeping your Jewellery in a box that absorbs moisture and reduces oxygen.
Small sealed plastic bags are also an effective way to protect your Jewellery from exposure to oxygen.
Anit-tarnish covers and/or cloths are also available to put around Jewellery or to use in Jewellery roll-up cases to protect pieces from oxygen.
Oxidation will still occur over time, but these methods will reduce the speed with which it happens.
The climate you live in will also affect the rate at which natural oxidation occurs. Warm humid environments will cause Jewellery to tarnish faster than dry environments.
Dry environments can cause their own problems by removing moisture in some gemstones and cause them to crack. An artificially dry environment such as a plastic bag may appear to be the solution for humid environments but will hurt some gemstones like pearls and opals that need moisture to preserve their lustrous qualities.
If you are wondering why some of your Jewellery appears to tarnish more or at a faster rate than other pieces, it can be because some metals and their alloy components react to oxygen differently.
Costume Jewellery – Likely will tarnish but depends on the alloys. Copper based alloys tarnish.
Fine Silver – does not tarnish.
Sterling Silver – Tarnishes as the copper in the alloy reacts to the oxygen in the air.
Yellow Gold – Lower karats will tarnish more as they have a greater copper content than higher karat gold.
Nickel white gold – Tarnishes a slightly yellow colour over time, lower karats tarnish faster than higher karats.
Palladium white gold – Does not tarnish.
Platinum – Does not tarnish.
Some white metal Jewellery (sterling silver, nickel white gold) is plated with Rhodium. Rhodium is from the platinum group. There are six types of platinum that make up this group of metal; they are not alloys but metals with similar properties. Rhodium is hypo allergenic and does not tarnish.
Some yellow metal Jewellery (brass, gold) is plated with high kart yellow gold for a bright yellow finish and because of the higher kart the less it tarnishes.
Just because a metal does not tarnish it can still get dirty. There are chemicals and dust in the air we breathe and this settles on Jewellery forming a fine layer that can resemble tarnish but is not the result of oxidation.
’20 Tips on maintaining our Jewellery’, Gillian E. Batcher, 2013
The birthstone for March is Aquamarine, and it is a beauty. It has been found in quite large crystals, as in Brazil. Although still rare and at a dear price, they can be found in large sizes, which makes for some absolutely stunning possibilities.
Aquamarine is in the Beryl family, which makes it a relative of Emerald and Golden Beryl. It can be transparent to opaque, and it has a decent hardness of 7.5-8, which is softer than sapphires, rubies, or diamonds (keep your jewellery separated!), but harder than amethysts or citrines.
The name comes from the latin for “water” and “sea”. It is said to represent courage, loyalty, and happiness. Sailors would use it as a talisman for safe travel.
It is also the gemstone for a 19th wedding anniversary, with the 20th being its very famous sibling, Emerald. Personally, I’d rather be sent to the Aquamarine City than the Emerald City, would you?
Some notable pieces include the “Dom Pedro” obelisk, Eleanor Roosevelt’s very large gem, Lucille Ball’s stolen treasure, QE2’s royal parure, and Meghan Markle’s knockout ring, inherited from Princess Diana.
March is National Craft Month, and what better way to kick the winter blues than by going out with friends or family and making something by hand?
Not sure about your skill level in jewellery? No problem! We have lots of introductory courses of different durations from 1 day workshops to 8 week courses.
Running in March we have a one-day stacking ring workshop and a 1 day band ring workshop. In our stacking ring workshop participants learn different wire twisting techniques and will make three different sterling silver rings. In our 1 day band ring workshop you can get more adventurous with your ring designs starting from sterling silver sheet. Students can cut out designs, experiment with hammered textures, or layer different shape cut-outs onto their rings.
Check out our website for more details on classes!
Student work from our one-day stacking ring workshop.
Student work from our one-day silver band ring workshop.
This year’s colour of the year is “cloud dancer”, but with as much of the white stuff as we’ve been getting, today calls for a little more “mocha mousse” warmth from 2025.
If you are lucky enough to get to stay inside today, we hope that you are cuddled up with a cup of comfort.
Or if you are lucky enough to enjoy playing in frosty fluff outside, we hope that your joy burns bright and your toes thaw quickly when you come home.
Warm thoughts, all around.
In fact, why not throw on your personal regalia, your most cherished parure, and host an indoor dance party?
And if you have been inspired to adorn yourself in toasty tones, but find that you lack such noble finery, drop by Jewel Envy and get comfy with our handmade jewellery!
