Category: General

Wear a fairy tale

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I am continuing my exhibition of jewellery artists that I admire: Anna Talbot

Each piece is a wearable illustration combining anodised aluminium, wood veneer, brass, gilding metal and silver. I often incorporate stories into pieces while creating them so you can see immediately why I am drawn to her work. There is also Anna’s use of colour – if you are combining the entire rainbow into one piece you have my eyeballs hooked, especially when they are this beautiful.

Check out this article to discover more about Anna and her work.  – Alexis

I included a title for each piece when I could find it – otherwise it was a bit difficult because she is VERY prolific.

Norwegian Wood by Anna Talbot.

Oh my deer by Anna Talbot

Sleeping Pill Beauty by Anna Talbot

Canadian Shop Feature Coming to a Close

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Hi Readers,

Our online shop feature of Canadiana by Ivane Thiebaut Jewellery Design is closing this month so we can prepare for the next shop feature. If you didn’t manage to order the piece you loved through the drop click online call or email and we can still send it to you. Even better visit the store as there are even more pieces in the collection to celebrate Canadas 150th birthday with!

Life in Plastic

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The jewellery of Peter Chang has long been a fascination of mine. His bracelets are an amalgam of sea creatures, pop art, and sci-fi. His bracelets look like 3017 bespoke doughnuts I’d buy while driving around town in my hoover craft (maybe that’s just me though?)

One of the things that intrigues me most is the process of creating the pieces. He uses various coloured plastics, such as acrylic and PVC, to create his jewellery. Transforming a disposable material into wearable art.

A short google search will uncover more of his work, but here are a few of my favourites:

I included materials/dates in the captions when I could find them ;o) Alexis

Polyester and epoxy resin made by Peter Chang, Bracelet 1992.

Peter Chang, Bracelet 1992

Acrylic, polyester, polyurethane foam and silver bracelet, designed and made by Peter Chang, Glasgow, Scotland, 2004.

How Canadian are you?

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Dear Sunday readers,
How Canadian are you?
After hearing this question, many of us expect a quiz
about Canada.
How many oceans do we have?
Which is the largest province?
What is our
favorite sport?
What is the main
ingredient in poutine? 
An so on…. Today, I have a new question to add to the
quiz.  Do you buy Canadian products?
When we buy Canadian, we are securing jobs, and creating
new ones. We can make a better Canada buying Canadian clothes, food, home
goods, design, jewellery, etc., and we can enrich our communities.
Here at Jewel Envy, we have fine crafts made in Canada,
in a wonderful environment, with a diverse group of goldsmiths from every
corner of the globe.
Shop Canadian, shop local, support your communities!
Have a nice Sunday!
Helena

Gemstone Facts

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AMETHYST


Amethyst was once considered a precious gem.

Until large reserves were found in Brazil, amethysts were
deemed highly precious and considerably valuable. Once these reserves
were discovered its value decreased and they became a  semiprecious gem.

Fact found here.

GARNET
 
Some folks believe that the garnet’s name was derived from a word
meaning “blood” because of its deep red color. Instead, the garnet is
named from the pomegranate because of the blood-red seeds that are found
on the inside of the fruit.

Fact found here.

AMBER

The softest and lightest gemstone on earth is amber. It is so light that
it is able to float when in salt water. It is a stone that is a result
of the sap and resin from prehistoric trees that have been fossilized.
In order to be considered the gemstone that is amber, the fossilized sap
needs to be at least 30 million years old. Most jewellery created with
amber is made of Baltic amber, which is known to be the strongest type.

Fact found here.

PEARL

Each pearl takes between a year up to three years to come to fruition. When a pearl
is cultivated, a small piece of shell or a bead, also known as the
nucleus, is placed within the mollusk in order to grow into a
pearl. These pearls are then harvested after they
grow into the perfect size to create pieces of jewellery.

Fact found here. 
                                                                               
 

                                                                                   OPAL and TOURMALINE 

 

The opal and the tourmaline both hold the record for the most colourful
gemstone. The tourmaline is also known as the “Rainbow Gem” because of
the fact that it is the only gem that can come in every color. The opal is
also a colourful stone, but some opals can be colorless. Opals can have
flashes of color within their black or white background appearance.

Fact found here.

LAPIS LAZULI

During the Renaissance lapis was ground and processed to make the pigment ultramarine for use in frescoes and oil painting.

Fact collection by Alexis
 

SAVE OR SPLURGE Y’ALL!

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Happy weekend everyone! It’s a beautiful sunny day, so I hope you are out and about and enjoying yourself! If you feel like treating yourself to the sunshine and some jewellery, I have a few suggestions😊 It’s save vs splurge saturday of course, so you can treat yourself a little, or you can treat yourself a lot.
These amaaaaazing druzy rings are by Alexis Kostuk of Glaciale Goldsmith. Druzy is a fine coating of crystals on the surface of a gemstone – in this case it’s quartz druzy.
First up is this little gem. Simple and classic, but with some sweet detail around the stone to complement that sparkle. Sterling silver with quartz druzy, $125+hst.
 And for the splurge – nobody will miss this bad boy on your hand! It’s a showstopper for sure, with one gorgeous freeform centre stone, and square accent stones on either side. Sterling silver with quartz druzy, $590+hst.

And here they are side by side. The big stone on the left photographed quite dark, but it is much lighter in person – you really must come in to take a look yourself!

Enjoy the sun, but don’t forget the spf! xx

Canada Day

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Dear Sunday Readers,

On July 1 1867, at noon, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Province of Canada came into a single Dominion within the British Empire called Canada.
On Canada Day, we celebrate our freedoms and rights. We honor the shared history, symbols, and values that define us Canadians. All of these things give us our identity.

Having my  citizenship as Canadian, after living for almost two thirds of my life abroad, made of Canada Day, a very special day, and it has a very special meaning. I got a second chance in life and I’m very proud of not only being Canadian but feeling Canadian too.

Canadian multiculturalism ensures we can keep our identities, can take pride in our ancestry, and have a sense of belonging.

These pictures tell volumes about what Canada is. I saw these two shops side by side in a mall on Leslie two blocks north of Sheppard on summer last year, and every single time I feel tired, lonely, overwhelmed, I see these pictures again and I say to myself, you lucky one, keep going!

In my second chance in life, I become a goldsmith, also now, I have a Canadian son (my son-in-law), and a Canadian grandchild.

Being Canadian is an honor, and a privilege; we all must celebrate Canada Day every day!. We are unique and blessed.

                                    Jewel Envy and its team wish Happy Birthday to Canada!

Have a happy Sunday.

Helena  

Special Event Sunday

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Time is running out to purchase work of Ivane Thiebaut’s Canadiana series, June’s featured work on the recently added Jewel Envy online shop. As a recent newcomer to Canada, Ivane fully embraces her new home’s landscapes, icons and culture and draws on them for inspiration in her design and jewelry work. Each piece in her collection acts as a glimpse into her relationship with her surroundings and are easily relatable to all who have visited this beautiful country, or are lucky enough to call it home.

Image includes: Postcard Bracelet, Antler Necklace and Canoe Cufflinks.
Take a closer look under the “shop” page.

Ivane’s pieces are both timeless and fashionable,  and perfect to commemorate Canada’s 150th aniversery.

– Caroline

Rubies – sapphires by another name.

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Did you know that rubies are the same gem as a sapphire? Both the well known blue sapphire and red ruby are commercial gem names for corundums. Rubies may be any shade of red, from pinkish to purplish or brownish red, depending on the chromium and iron content of the stone. And although sapphires are known as a blue gem, they come in all colours of the rainbow. Check out a few variations of rubies along with some of our goldsmith’s work featuring the gem just below.
-Alexis
*Information about rubies from: “Gemstones” by Cally Hall.

Ruby rocks.
Star ruby – this effect can be seen in cabochons when rutile inclusions are present.

Faceted Ruby.

Ring by Gillian Batcher of Pash Jewellery Design using synthetic rubies. Synthetic rubies are chemically the same as natural stones, they are human-made instead of naturally occurring.

Snake ring by Sasha Oda of Archerade using rubies.

Ruby accents on a ring handmade by Helena Perez Lafauire.

Custom opaque and faceted ruby rings by Alexis Kostuk, Glaciale Goldsmith.

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