More Student Work

Here at the studio we have been getting our usual calls about upcoming class availability.  I am currently teaching the last 8 week class that will be held at our present location on Spadina before making our big move into the new space in Roncesvalle.  Fortunately, we have been receiving enough interest to continue listing our one day workshops on Saturdays up until we move.  If you are at all interested do not hesitate to sign up!  

The class that I am teaching is the 8 week Intermediate Fabrication Class, and it also includes a student taking on advanced jewellery making projects.  Each student in the class has come up with challenging projects, using the demos of the class to their utmost potential.  Check out some of their creations.            -Alexis 

Monika Weber's hollow constructed pendant.

Erin Noh's pierced and dapped pendant.

Joanna Savvaidis' pieced, formed and wirework cuff.

Joanna Savvaidis' bezel set faceted gem ring (Joanna's been a busy bee!)

 

   

Corporate Class with City Orthodontics

This past August Jewel Envy had the pleasure of holding a team building fun day for City Orthodontics. Eleven people working in all areas of the clinic came in to learn how to make a piece of jewellery.

Jewellery and dentistry have quite a lot in common and many of the skills are transferable. We use many of the same tools and both fields have a passion for tiny but important details.

When the City Orthodontics group showed up you could see their eye light up with recognition the moment they saw the display of tools for their class were in fact common items in a clinic. The dentists drill is called a flexshaft in the jewellery studio and we use re-purposed dental tools for carving tools.

Kathryn Rebecca and I taught the group how to carve cuttlefish, which is the bone of a sea animal, and cast precious metal into the cavity created. Everyone had the option of making either a pendant or key-chain and the group came up with a variety of designs.

A lot more goes into making jewellery than is generally expected without any experience so I think after a few hours the group had a new found appreciation for hand made work!

Below are finished pieces. They are all turned out exceptionally well and we hope the group had as much fun in the class as we had teaching them.

If you would like more information about special classes for your group please let us know and we can design an event just for you!

Happy jewellery making!

Gillian

My First Blog Post!

Hello Jewel Envy Fans!

I am Theresa, a recent graduate from OCAD University and a former summer intern at Jewel Envy! I am excited being a new member and moving with the team to the new location!

I hope you all had a great long weekend. Mine was rather exciting, accidentally running into the Heritage Antique Show in Centerpoint Mall! There were many vendors with antique jewellery and home decor but something that really caught my eye was this grouse bird foot brooch with amethyst and citrine stone settings in 15k gold!

Even birds need a ring!

And check out the filigree work in this miniature table setting!

Until next time,
Theresa

P.S. Come say hello to me at the Queen West Art Crawl this year on September 15-16 booth H8!

Cerussite

The Royal Ontario Museum houses the world’s largest faceted specimen of a mineral called Cerussite. Cerussite, from the Latin “white lead”, is a lead carbonate mineral with the chemical formula PbCO₃. 

Cerussite is especially interesting to jewelers and gem enthusiasts because of its extreme dispersion or fire. Dispersion is a gem’s ability to split light into prismatic colours. The desirable sparkle and flash a diamond displays is nothing compared to the vibrant dispersion of Cerussite. 

Diamond lovers can rest easy knowing that fragile Cerussite will never become the gem of choice despite its colour and flash. Besides only having a mohs hardness between 3 and 3.5 (quite soft!), Cerussite is very sensitive to heat and vibration. The specimen of Cerussite on display at the ROM is called the “Light of the Desert”, and weighs an astounding 898 carats and is approximately four times the size of the next largest faceted specimen. Considering how fragile Cerussite is, the “Light of the Desert” is an amazing feat of gemstone faceting.

Evolution of a bracelet

Happy Saturday friends!!  For my Very First Blog ever, I thought I would share with you the most recent addition to my bracelet family.  This golden beauty was born just this past Wednesday, and I have documented her arrival into this jewelled world for you.  Enjoy!

 

This is the prep stage.  I start by tracing the shape onto the wax, and then cut around it with my jeweller's saw.  I then use various tools, such as wax files and burs, to gradually carve out the final shape of the bracelet:

Once I am satisfied with the final product, I attach the wax sprues around the piece in order to prepare for casting.





 

Once the piece is cast, I use files, emery and polishing buffs to create the final finish.

 

As the final step, I electroplated this bracelet with 14karat gold-plating solution, to achieve the final golden glow.  And voila! 

 

- Sasha Oda-

Fun amethyst cocktail ring

As a jewelry designer there is nothing I love more than a cocktail ring. I came up with this sample spontaneously but I think it has potential. The ring shown is fabricated from sterling silver with a synthetic amethyst. I am not usually drawn to synthetic stones, but this one changes colour from deep purple to fuchsia pink - fun and cost effective!

Iona Alexandra Jewellery

Learning Curve to New Beginnings

A couple weeks ago, I finished up teaching my first 8 week Intro to Fabrication class. I must say, I was terribly nervous but excited at the same time. I had taught people how to do things before, as I'm sure everyone has, but I had never been in an actual teacher-student position. Lucky for me, my class was great. It was a pleasure helping them bring their visions to life.
Here are some pictures of the final projects!
Be sure to check back for Jewel Envy's latest class posting here, or sign up for our news letter and we'll notify you of the newest classes (and when we're set up in our new location!).
-L