Jewel Envy

Hello everyone!

My name is Liane Vaz and I am the new summer intern at Jewel Envy! I just finished my third year at OCAD University in the Jewellery & Metalsmithing program.

My passion for jewellery began in high school - where we had a Design program that included ceramics, glass, fiber, and jewellery. Contrary to what most people think - we worked with sterling silver and not beads! At the time I had not realized the value of silver since we didn't have to pay for it up front (we paid a $30 studio fee at the beginning of the year and that was it). Looking back, I wish I saved every off-cut and every gram of silver!

At OCADU, I had a leg up for a little while because I already knew basic things like how to use a jeweller's saw and how to solder. I believe that this previous knowledge allowed me to grasp other concepts and techniques as time went by and as I learned more advanced processes.

After a History of Jewellery class at OCADU, most of the people in my class (including myself) realized that we did not know a lot about contemporary jewellers. One of my goals this summer is to research and learn all I can about contemporary jewellers - I think I'm doing pretty well so far since I am now working amidst several contemporary jewellers here at Jewel Envy!

Another goal for this summer is to refine my finishing skills. Sadly, jewellery finishing is often thrown under the bus when we're trying to meet deadlines at school. Also, learning new techniques or variations on old ones would be an amazing thing to have under my belt as I go into my fourth and final year at OCADU. Finally, I would like to pick Gillian’s brain and learn the business side of the jewellery trade and how I can own and run my own studio sometime in the future!


I'm looking forward to learning and doing and creating this summer!


Liane