STACKED

The more the merrier!  

Power in numbers!  

Three's a crowd but more is a party!

etc!

What I'm getting at here, is that sometimes one just isn't enough.  It is, after all, the loneliest number.  So unless you are a hobbit (hehe), perhaps your one ring could use some company.  To prove that point, we had another stacking ring workshop in the studio yesterday.  The ladies, Kristina and Kim, were very worthy goldsmiths-in-training.

Here they are hard at work:

Here is amazing result of all their benchwork:

If you can't make it in for a workshop, never fear!  We have a great selection of stacking rings, already made just for you.  Take a look:

 

Rings by Carolyn Cathcart of Cathcart Designs

 Rings by Gillian Batcher of PASH Jewellery Design

Rings by Lauren Hanham of Lauren Hanham Jewellery Designs

 Rings by Sasha Oda of Archerade

*Please excuse my manicure - the nails of goldsmiths never last that long!

Have a great week!

The Circle of Life

I think we can all agree that Mufasa pretty much covered the circle of life, for lions and hyenas everywhere.  If you happen to be a goldsmith, the circle of life is a little different.  Luckily, I am here to impart some wisdom.

Here is me imparting wisdom:

The circle of life, for the sterling silver in my toolbox, begins as trial and error in wax carving.  Here are some early attempts at carving balls:  

Once I have a satisfactory wax carving, I use sterling silver casting grain to cast the ball into metal.

Surprisingly enough, I am not perfect, and when trying something completely new it can take a few attempts before I am happy with the results.  Here is my ball graveyard, where bad balls go to die:

Thankfully, the trial and error period does not last forever.  Below, success!

All the old sterling silver gets recycled, because recycling is part of the process.  In this case, I raided the ol' ball graveyard.   The bad balls visited the chop shop (er, metal shears), and now have a brand new purpose in life as casting grain.

In fact I am casting tonight, and this casting grain will actually become two sets of weddings bands and a pair of earrings.  

And that, my friends, is the sterling silver circle of life, goldsmith edition.  Hakuna Matata!

Toronto International Jewellery Festival

What do you know about the Toronto International Jewellery Festival (TIJF - www.tijf.info)?

It is a month long jewellery festival that will showcase the talent of Canadian goldsmiths through dozens of exhibitions across the city. It is the first ever of its kind in Toronto and here at Jewel Envy, we are involved in a few of the exhibitions, including our own, New Life. (http://tijf.info/jewel-envy)

Jewel Envy invited past and present members of the studio to interpret the theme “New Life” through the creation of art jewellery pieces. Some very interesting pieces have been created (believe me, I've seen a few!) and the show is going to be a great one! The opening is May 3 from 5-10pm, and the work will be on display for the entire month of May.

Another exhibition that will feature the work of JE goldsmiths Amanda Henderson and Fatima Tataragic, is called Emotions: Fury to Joy.  (www.facebook.com/pages/Emotions-Fury-to-Joy/206582876149780) This show asks the participating artists to take an emotional journey from fury to joy with two stops in between. The two middle emotions are up to the artist and will tell an emotional story. The work on display will be each artists interpretation of the emotions into personal adornment.

The final exhibition (that we know about right now, we are awaiting the announcement of judging results for more exhibitions), is called 45 Years in the Making (www.45YearsInTheMaking.com). This exhibition will showcase the talent and skill of George Brown College's jewellery program alumni. We have many GBC grads here that will be featured, including Gillian Batcher, Lauren Hanham, Amber Thomas-Penchoff, and Kathryn Rebecca Pitt, who is sadly no longer with Jewel Envy. It is being organized by me, Amanda Henderson.

These are only three of the 3 dozen TIJF exhibitions that are so far announced. I hope you are all as excited as I am for May!

Amanda