Tag: #jewelenvy | Page 9

Hey-hey-Hyewon!!!

January 11, 2016August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

Hyewon Jang

This is Hyewon, a wonderful goldsmith who works out of Jewel Envy.

The following are all pieces from her Africa collection:

I love the contrast between the bold asymmetrical shapes, and the delicate colour of the stones. Plus, these stud earrings look like exclamation points don’t they!!!!!!!

The bright pop of colour at the bottom of these stepping stone earrings is just perfect. They’d look great with a black turtleneck in the winter, or a white t-shirt in the summer, amirite?!

Yet another great pair of earrings, with bold, asymmetrical detail and pretty pearls at the bottom. These tie in very nicely with a lot of other pieces that Hyewon makes, as she is very fond of pearls:)

Bet you thought it would be another pair of earrings! Nope, just the cutest lil’ pendant ever.

All Hyewon’s work is just as beautiful. Her pieces are delicate and strong at the same time, and she likes to play with shape and form in surprising ways. Gemstones and pearls add just the right amount of colour, and her work is always the perfect way to add ooh-la-la to any outfit. Come in and take a look!

New year, new plans, new dreams!

January 9, 2016August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

Welcome to 2016 everyone! If you know me personally, you know I am a planner so when I started to dream up things to come for this year I had a huge to-do list. That’s how I like to start a new year, with a long list of ideas and dreams that can get distilled into a shorter version of the best ones to implement.

Now it’s not just up to me what happens here in a year as we work collaboratively in this studio environment so having all of the jewellers on board for the plans makes them much more successful. To allow us to work this way we hold regular studio meetings where everyone’s input is heard and considered. This may seem like a radical idea for a business to choose to use a collective style without officially being one, but it is a method I strongly believe in and have stuck to since opening. I choose to work with creative people, so I think creative voices should have the opportunity to do what they do best, which is to dream.

2016 will be Jewel Envy’s tenth year in business and boy has it grown over time. It started as a small two person business and has grown to include around a dozen goldsmiths at any one time. As we ramp up to a big 10 year anniversary party near the end of the year we will be holding special events throughout the year to celebrate our customers who have made it possible to not just survive all of these years but to thrive and grow with you.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us and continues to so. Wishing all of you an amazing 2016 full of realized dreams this year!

Gillian

Hello Judith!!!

December 15, 2015August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

Judith Noldin is a resident goldsmith here at Jewel Envy. She makes incredibly unique and beautiful pieces, and is also a whiz at doing repairs! I highly recommend stopping by to take a look at what she has going on, you will not be disappointed.

Here she is, hard at work on another repair:

Here are some of my favourite pieces. The far left is part of the Turrets Collection. I love the cutout detailing, and of course, the 18K yellow gold accent isn’t too bad either! She has other similar pieces as well, with coloured glass instead of gold. The shape of the turrets is inspired by church steeples, and they definitely make me think of medieval architecture. The middle pendant is a lovely and serene mother-of-pearl face, with a pretty moony surprise on the back for you, as well. The brooch on the right is made of coloured, textured glass, and sterling silver.

Come in and say hi to Judith!

Everybody meet Helena!!!

November 29, 2015August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

Oh hello there, Helena!

Helena Perez-Lafaurie is a Jewel Envy goldsmith after my own heart. She designs
these chunky sterling rings that are pretty much everything I look for in a chunky
sterling ring.

Some are classic chunky, and some have a big, beautiful onyxs.

Some have colourful and sparkly stones.

And others still have texture and great detail.

Each ring has a bold, strong shape that really accentuates the attention to detail. They are heavy, but so comfortable on my finger it’s almost like they were made just for me. Helena does custom work, so she can make one just for you, too!

Jewelust by Amanda Henderson

November 15, 2015August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

This is Amanda Henderson:

She is one of the resident goldsmiths here at Jewel Envy. Her company is called Jewelust, and she designs and creates amazing jewellery that you should definitely come in and check out and wear home!!

Here is a little sneak peek of the work that she has here in the studio:

These are her square-top stacking rings. Some are in rose-gold (oooh!!) and some have simple texture, and some have pretty little roses adorning the tops.

The profile is so unique, and they are just as lovely from the side as from the top. They are sold individually, but I think they look best stacked in different colours and styles, so I would definitely have problems choosing just one!

This is from one of her signature collections – the Whirls. She creates these graceful ribbons of metal and uses them in different ways. This is a simple pendant style, but she has been known to add the whirls to more elaborate pieces.

Here are some bar pendants. These look so great together, don’t they??! I really like wearing sterling and gold together, so I would probably get the top one custom-made with yellow gold, and a white diamond. Or rose-gold with a black diamond. Or both!

Amanda is a great designer, but she also does incredible custom work. Come by the studio and get to know her a little better, and get something pretty for yourself at the same time!

~sash

ps – all of her social media handles are @jewelust, so you can check her out on Instagram and Facebook as well.

Come cast with Jewel Envy!

August 2, 2015August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

Hello friends! I am going to be teaching our next casting class, starting Wednesday August 12th. I thought I would go over the process with you, and show you what you can learn.

Our first project is a ring. I will show you how to size, shape, and add
texture, pattern, and detail to a slice of wax. Once the wax has been
carved, I will walk you through the lost wax casting process. This
involves: investment, a hot kiln, a big torch, molten metal, and
centrifugal force. Voila! Your ring, in all its sterling silver beauty.

The next project is a cuttlefish casting.
A cuttlefish is a squid-like fish, that has a bone with very unique
properties. Birds like to peck at these bones, and goldsmiths like to
cast with them. (We will be casting, not pecking.) The inside of the
bone is very soft and has a great texture. I will show you how to use
tools to carve into the bone, to create a mold (essentially negative
space), for your piece. Once complete, we will pour molten metal into
this mold using gravitational force. Very fun!

The last project is one of your choosing, so it is a great time to stretch your creative muscles and use your imagination. Casting is a very sculptural process, and lends itself well to three-dimensional designs. Join me for this next class, and show me what you’ve got!

See you soon!

~sash

Achoo! Happy allergy season!

May 23, 2015August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

If you’re like me, then you are currently throwing your money at the pharmaceutical companies, begging them to supply you with little pills to keep the sneezes away. If you’re like me, then you like to gaze at floral-inspired pieces in the studio, so you don’t have to cry (from allergy-induced watery eyes) at the real thing.

If you’re like me, then you will marvel at these beautiful earrings made by Hyewon Jang, because they are so pretty, but also because you never noticed just how pretty they are!

What I love about them is how well they are made. The beautiful golden details are identical on the back as well, so when your hair is up, and the earrings are swinging in the breeze, you can awe and impress from both sides:)

Thank you for making pretty things Hyweon!

Now go enjoy the sunshine and the flowers, if you dare.

xx sash

ps – hi Rhonda!!!

ROCK SOME CUSTOM ROCKS

April 12, 2015August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

So you guys know we LOVE doing custom work here at Jewel Envy, right? If you have ever thought of getting something made for you or a loved one, but didn’t know where to start, let me help point you in an interesting direction:)

Here at the studio, we have a selection of beautiful and unusual gemstones, that are just begging to be put to good use.

Here are a few of them:

This is amolite. What a beautiful shimmery colour! Absolutely perfect for spring. This would be amazing as the focal point of a necklace, but it would also make your friends green with envy (sorry, had to do it!) as a large and in-charge cocktail ring.

Smithsonite. It reminds me of sea glass, though this is actually zinc. It makes me think of the beach, and it would look perfect against a backdrop of a sunkissed tan!:)

Watermelon Tourmaline. So so so juicy and the perfect embodiment of summer picnics and fireworks in the park. These two beauties would be absolutely stunning as a matched pair of earrings, don’t you think?!

These beautiful gemstones really give life and personality to your design – their not-so-standard shapes and spectacular colours are a great starting point for an entirely original and one-of-a-kind piece.

Have a great and sunny day!

xx sash

Burn baby burn!

March 8, 2015August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

So I dropped some very very hot wax on my arm the other day. It is not a big deal in the grand scheme of potential-goldsmith-injuries, but it is a bit of an eyesore:

ouch!

So what is a goldsmith to do? Cover it up with jewellery of course! Big and bold bracelets are the perfect disguise, and here is the proof:

(L-R) Arrowhead bracelet in sterling, Archerade by Sasha Oda

Open studded cuff in sterling, Jewelust by Amanda Henderson

Twig cuff in sterling and gold plate, Pash by Gillian Batcher

Wrap bracelet in sterling, Tete Designs by Fatima Tataragic

If delicate is more your thing, we also have a great selection of dainty bracelets that are beautiful and intricate distractions from any offensive scar tissue:)

(T-B) Plain and hammered bangles in sterling, HP Lafaurie Jewelry Design by Helena Lafaurie

Paisley links and cherry blossom bracelets in sterling, Koko Bijoux by Young Kyoung Ko

Lotus charm bracelet with sapphires in sterling, Ellolite by Chia-Chien Tsai

Open shapes bracelet with moonstone beads in sterling, Glaciale by Alexis Kostuk

Obviously you can arm yourself even if uninjured, so come on by today and try on some bracelets!

We are open until 6pm tonight, you can help me put some aloe on my burn.

~sash

Craigslist surprise

February 25, 2015August 7, 2019Jewel EnvyGeneral

Hi guys!

This is my story about an interesting incident that happened last week, during my search for the perfect display case. (The display case is a story unto itself, so if you want to know more about that just let me know.)

I have been obsessively searching through Craigslist and Kijiji, because I am/was on the hunt for a display cabinet, a showcase for my jewellery, that can travel with me to sales/shows/events. My search words were exactly this: “jewellery display cabinet”. Scrolling down, my eyes were suddenly transfixed by this image:

I was so perplexed to see this pendant ‘for sale’ on Craigslist, that I stared blankly at the screen for a silly amount of time. It is a necklace that I made in my last year of the Jewellery Arts program at George Brown, that was subsequently displayed during our grad show event. But to see this piece completely out of context, after years of being apart, was a bit of a surprise. And then I realized that it was an ad for Jewel Envy, using a provided-by-me image no less, and then I was no longer surprised.

I am telling you this because it was a good moment; to reflect on past work, and to realize that although my style has evolved, the backbone of my goldsmithing esthetic has stayed true. I am still very happy with this design, and the same cannot always be said about my other creations (my self-critic has a loud voice!) But in the end my design professor knew her stuff – with the right amount (usually a HUGE amount) of ideation, development, and refinement, you will be able to create a piece that will stand the test of time. Lesson learned, again!

So back to the sketchbook I go, and I will leave you with a proper image of the above piece:

Burst pendant – sterling silver with 14k yellow gold accent

custom-cut sujilite cabochon

sterling silver rolo chain

Happy designing y’all!

~sash