Polish Festival

Dear Sunday readers,

The annual Roncesvalles Polish Festival is back on September 15^th and 16^th.  It features dance, live music, buskers, vendors and more, all celebrating Polish culture. 

The festivities run through the whole weekend.  Over 40 restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and bistros, along with  traditional Polish fare: pierogi, kubasa, bigos, and cabbage rolls will be offered all along Roncy.

At the south end of Roncy is the stage featuring Polka Song  and Dance more highlights of Polish culture. Saturday night enjoy the ever-popular Dance Under the Stars polka party. Check out the Polish Art Walk and Car Show.

We are excited to announce that Jewel Envy at 151 Marion Street, will give you that chance to experience Lost Wax Casting and make your own piece. Adults and teens will make rings and kids pendants.   

The 1- hour wax carving workshops is FREE.  

Jewel Envy teachers and Jewel Envy artist will help make your great and unique piece come to life.

You will consult with the instructor about your design, and shown how to use the wax carving tools. The teachers are there to help you along, and show you how to finish the wax, which is then ready for casting.

People can take the wax home with them, which is still free.  It will last a little while, but not long.  However, for a small fee your creation will last forever.  Jewel Envy will sprue, invest, cast and finish your ring/pendant.  

Don’t miss out on this rare event.    For _____ a fee, based on weight you can choose to to have their wax ring/pendant cast into bronze or sterling silver.

The Goldsmiths at Jewel Envy Celebrate the Polish Festival with a friendly competition between our Artist and you are our judges.   Our Asymmetric Exhibition is officially launched before traveling to other Ontario Galleries.

We welcome you into the store to view our Goldsmiths’ eclectic design in silver, gold, brass, bronze. Please feel free to bring in any jewellery you want to discuss having repaired or redesigned.

Have a nice Sunday!

Helena

Green Diamonds!

Colored diamonds are rarities among the most brilliant and usually expensive of all gemstones, but green diamonds are even more rare; different natural phenomena combined to give this diamonds the shade to stand out among the others, and has become a recent interest in gemmology fields.

Diamonds with a green hue are found in Brazil and Zimbabwe and are defined by the type of process for their formation.

A recent article published by the Gemological Institute of America on their Gems and Gemology quarterly publication details everything there is to know about the rarest of diamonds, and makes for an interesting short read. Check out the PDF for the article!

shoes that are gems, gems that are shoes.

I can say that as a goldsmith my focus about accessories crosses over into shoes. I was recently reminded of these gem like shoes from a company called United Nude 

 This lead to a google search of gem shoes, in which I came across these:

Marina Abramovic's crystal Shoes for Departure

Marina Abramovic's crystal Shoes for Departure, worn.

Marina Abramovic's written instructions: "With naked feet enter the shoes. Eyes closed. Motionless. Depart. Duration:limitless Material: amethyst"

From The In-Between: Shoes for Departure "offer to transport the viewer into an altered state of consciousness. With the artist's written instructions functioning almost as a hypnotic suggestion, the shoes provide the means to enter a space of trance and contemplation."

It was exciting to come across this vastly different examples and sit in contemplation for a few moments about the perception of materials as well as the function and purpose of accessories. Materials have different value to individuals; there is definitely a common thread of meaning attached to gemstones in jewellery that for a majority of people is connected to value. We do often get customers who are searching for meaning and connection through specific gemstones, which I always love learning and hearing about.

-Alexis  

2 Days Wedding Band Workshop

Hello Sunday Readers,

Jewel Envy, a retail space and working studio at the blue house on Roncy, has a select group of goldsmiths, that not only have they personal lines of work on site, but also teach classes to the public.

Classes are a fun way to learn, and at the same time you can make meaningful pieces like your wedding bands.

You don’t need to have any experience in jewellery making, you come to our studio and one of our teachers will give you all the knowledge you need to make one of the most important and significant pieces of jewellery of your life, your wedding bands.

 

                         Alexis Kostuk (glacialegoldsmith.com) with a student, Emma

Couples interested in our 2 day Wedding Band Workshop select two weekend days (that are at least a week apart) that suit their schedule to create their very own wedding bands. Get in touch to sign up!

 

 

 

Jewel Envy looks forward to seeing you in one or more of our classes, the fun, good time, sharing knowledge, learning of new things, they are just the beginning of a great experience.

 

Have a nice Sunday

 

Helena

 

 

Bijoux Missodey

While Patrick Missodey is on holiday from working in the studio we still have loads of his fabulous work for purchase available here at Jewel Envy. Scroll down to check out some of his work and then be sure to drop into the studio to try some pieces on!