Tag: #sciart #sciencejewellery #handmade #artjewellery #independentgoldsmith

Everything has a story….

June 15, 2025June 15, 2025Jewel EnvyGeneral

Inspiration can come from anywhere, and this is never more evident than when you step into the Jewel Envy studio. Each goldsmith finds inspiration in different places, and this is clear from the wide range of different kinds of jewellery pieces that we make. Me? I love science (okay, that’s simplistic, I love lots of things). Most of my work is currently inspired by the cells and concepts of the immune system, expressed in different ways. Each of the series of pieces that I do has a specific underlying idea or spark. My latest pieces, which I am still really at the beginning of exploring, are a consideration of red blood cells and how they move.

Earrings: hand molded and cast asymmetric base in sterling silver with hand fabricated cabochon sapphire settings. They hang about 2cm long.

You may know that most cells have a nucleus – this is where DNA (which contains the blueprint or instructions to recreate life). Fun fact about mammalian (this includes people!) red blood cells? They don’t have one! Which is what gives them a characteristic “donut”-like appearance. They’re mostly round, and I like to imagine them flowing through veins at a terrific rate!

schematic of red blood cells

(wikimedia picture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_blood_cell#/media/File:Blausen_0761_RedBloodCells.png)

Hand molded base cast in sterling silver with a hand fabricated setting for a kite shaped tourmalinated quartz.

Two pieces together give you a bit of an idea of scale – they’re not dainty, but they’re a nice size to be noticed, but still light enough to be very comfortable!

The way they are constructed means that no two pieces are the same, and I do like a bit of balanced asymmetry! Want to know more? Curious about what other pieces will pop up in this series? Visit the studio to see, or ask more about them!

Happy Sunday!

-Robin.

New Window Display!

June 8, 2024June 8, 2024Jewel EnvyGeneral

Happy Saturday!! With the summer, has come a change in the windows display at Jewel Envy. It’s a bit different from our recent displays: one window is a fibre art collaboration piece, and the other two contain some fibre/silver jewellery pieces.

What’s that? You say? Well, about two years ago, I met a lovely fibre artist, Carolina Reis, when I was doing a studio tour show. I was a guest in her house, and we got to talking about all things fibre. One of Carolina’s interests is in networks (mostly social, community, etc.). Well, I like fibre art, and there are lots of networks in immunology, so I suggested we do a collaboration. This piece entitled (IMM)UNITY was the final result!

This is a bit of a teaser – it’s really better to see it in person! Also, there’s quite a long explanation about the intentions and concepts of the piece that is posted along with it. Made from quilted embroidered panels, and joined with crocheted cotton elements to make a whole, it incorporates (among other things), the feeling of togetherness, connection, and conflicting ideas, as well as representations of different cells, systems and concepts around vaccination and the immune system.

In the other two windows, I’ve placed a complementary series of necklaces and brooches, that I’ve called Portholes on Immunity, and mostly (but not entirely) is an homage to different cell types of the immune system. When I was thinking about making this series, I was reminded of various sci-fi films where you see people shrunk into miniature, along with their little submarine, journeying through the blood. So, these are how I imagine cells would look from the porthole window on a teeny tiny vessel in the blood.

This is a large multi-panel necklace. Again, the pictorial elements are embroidered quilted panels that I made, with some trapunto effects (this is a quilting technique where you add additional batting layers in selected parts to raise the profile). The panels are inset into sterling silver frames, or portholes.

This is the last window – a series of four brooches, and a single pendant necklace, using similar techniques to the above necklace. And bonus – there I am trying to take a picture without too much reflection (clearly that wasn’t entirely successful!).

If you’re passing by the studio this month, I hope you’ll try and take a look – they are all much more interesting in person! The large necklace is not for sale, but if you’re interested in any of the brooches, or the single panel necklace, stop in and ask us about them! Given the fabric nature of the pieces, they won’t be up for long, they will probably come down by the middle of July at the latest to avoid any sun damage.

Enjoy the nice weather, whatever you’re doing, and hope to see you soon!

-Robin (House of Cassady)