Artist Spotlight: Archerade!

Archerade

In today’s Artist Spotlight is Sasha Oda, the force behind Archerade: bringing colour and contrast together with form and technique!  My personal favourites are the ones in her collection with the ‘Huggie’ style – here are three stunning examples!

                Her other works also prominently display all sorts of gemstones, bringing a depth and range of style, such as this wonderful necklace: a definitely statement piece!

                              

Lastly, as you can tell, pattern and texture are prime features in many of her pieces: the light and dark sequences add character to the finished work.  A great example is the necklace below!

An incredibly diverse range of styles and artistic influences make up the jewelry made by Archerade, come by and see them today!

Save vs Splurge - Easter Edition:)

Happy Easter errybody! For today's edition of Save vs Splurge, I decided to look at two necklaces by Gillian Batcher of Pash Jewellery Design.

Both of these beauties were made using the Mokume Gane method. If this is your first time hearing that term, here is a quick rundown: It is a Japanese metal-working technique, that involves the layering of different coloured metals, in order to achieve a laminate that resembles the grain of wood.

It is a time-consuming process, but the results are well worth the effort. See for yourself:

At first glance, the pendant is simple and classic. Yet upon closer inspection, you can see the complex and organic pattern that is a result of the Mokume Gane technique. This pendant is made from sterling silver and copper, and it retails in our studio at $195.

And look at this masterpiece! At first glance,what catches my eye is the graceful way this necklace cascades down the neck and collar. As I lean in more closely, I can see the texture and detail in each individual piece; the mix of the crochet and the mokume is very striking. This beauty retails at $4,600, and we're open all day until 7pm so come in and try them both on!

Bonjour!

Bonjour!

I am Ivane Thiebaut, and just moved back to Toronto and I love it! I lived in Paris, London/UK, Sydney/Australia and many other cities but none equal Toronto for it's amazing artistic community! 

I trained as a Gemologist in the heart of London/UK Gem and Jewellery district, Hatton Garden- for those in the know!

I have been getting my work bench reorganized, and also had to restock on all the chemicals as well (as they can not be easily transported on international moves).

I am very exited about having just joined Jewel Envy! So many talented and great jewellers there, all with very different styles and amazing qualities in a great neighborhood. 

Come and say hello! We are always happy to see new and old faces!

A Very Special Gift!

Last month I had the privilege of working with a client on a very special birthday gift for his wife. Matt and his wife Crystal had been to a gem mine about 5 years ago when they were just newlyweds and found a wonderful specimen of white topaz. They decided to hold on to it as they found it but Matt thought this would make a very special and memorable champagne birthday gift this year.

He approached Jewel Envy to see if we could help facilitate this. I met with Matt and we discussed gem cut shapes. His goal was to maximize size so we settled on a pear shape faceted cut. At this time Jewel Envy do not have in house faceting facilities but we do work with a few gem cutters so I took it to one and he was able to maximize size while also bringing the cut to life.

Below are some before and after pictures of the topaz project!

Before

 

After

And here is a little video Matt made showing how refractive the stone actually is.

It was truly wonderful to hear about the thought that went into this gift and how special Matt's wife was to him. Thank you Matt for letting us help with this Crystal's birthday this year and we hope to see you and the stone back in the future to turn it into a piece of jewellery!

All the best to this wonderful couple.

Gillian

Oh heeeey Alexis!

In case you don't know Alexis Kostuk (of Glaciale jewellery design), I want to spend a moment giving you a glimpse into her goldsmithing goodness.

She is an all-around amazing artist, and her talent is more than visible in her carved pieces. Below are some of her statement rings that catch the eye in the best way possible.

 

The centre stone is a blue onyx, and it's surrounded by white sapphires. This appeals to my art nouveau/deco-architecture-appreciating self in so many great ways.

This ring has a slightly different design than the one above, with a lapis centre (and don't you just love lapis?!) and blue sapphires.

 Look at that turquoise! It sits atop a bed of sterling silver coral reef, with a peekaboo texture that perfectly complements the matrix of the stone.

Aren't they lovely! Get your butts down here and just try to decide which one you like best. I dare you:)

ps - hi Rhonda!

Save vs. Splurge

Unique carved castings make up the beautifully designed work of Acherade's Sasha Oda.

The tiny carved patterns are a must see in person.

Spotlight on Jewel Envy's newest jeweller!

Welcome to Ivane Thiebaut!

She is an international goldsmith extraordinaire, who has joined us here in the studio via France. Ooh la la! Her work is feminine, without being overly delicate, and draws a lot of inspiration from nature. 

Here are my favourite pieces:

 How great is this?! I am a huge fan of torcs and collars, so no surprise that this appeals to me. But the lovely asymmetry, and the way it curves so gracefully around the neck - it probably appeals to you too!

Love this ring. It is very comfortable on the finger, and the little flash of green is perfect for spring. I also really enjoy the shape of the ring itself, a little bit unexpected but it works so well.

I encourage you all to come in and see these beauties for yourself! You might get lucky and see Ivane herself, working on new pieces just for you.

Have a great evening everyone!