Canadian Shop Feature Coming to a Close

Hi Readers,

Our online shop feature of Canadiana by Ivane Thiebaut Jewellery Design is closing this month so we can prepare for the next shop feature. If you didn't manage to order the piece you loved through the drop click online call or email and we can still send it to you. Even better visit the store as there are even more pieces in the collection to celebrate Canadas 150th birthday with!

Life in Plastic

The jewellery of Peter Chang has long been a fascination of mine. His bracelets are an amalgam of sea creatures, pop art, and sci-fi. His bracelets look like 3017 bespoke doughnuts I'd buy while driving around town in my hoover craft (maybe that's just me though?)

One of the things that intrigues me most is the process of creating the pieces. He uses various coloured plastics, such as acrylic and PVC, to create his jewellery. Transforming a disposable material into wearable art.

A short google search will uncover more of his work, but here are a few of my favourites:

I included materials/dates in the captions when I could find them ;o) Alexis

Polyester and epoxy resin made by Peter Chang, Bracelet 1992.

Peter Chang, Bracelet 1992

Acrylic, polyester, polyurethane foam and silver bracelet, designed and made by Peter Chang, Glasgow, Scotland, 2004.

How Canadian are you?

Dear Sunday readers,

How Canadian are you?

After hearing this question, many of us expect a quiz about Canada.

How many oceans do we have?

Which is the largest province?

What is our favorite sport?

What is the main ingredient in poutine? 

An so on…. Today, I have a new question to add to the quiz.  Do you buy Canadian products?

When we buy Canadian, we are securing jobs, and creating new ones. We can make a better Canada buying Canadian clothes, food, home goods, design, jewellery, etc., and we can enrich our communities.

Here at Jewel Envy, we have fine crafts made in Canada, in a wonderful environment, with a diverse group of goldsmiths from every corner of the globe.

Shop Canadian, shop local, support your communities!

Have a nice Sunday!

Helena

Gemstone Facts

AMETHYST

Amethyst was once considered a precious gem.
Until large reserves were found in Brazil, amethysts were deemed highly precious and considerably valuable. Once these reserves were discovered its value decreased and they became a  semiprecious gem.

Fact found here.

GARNET
 
Some folks believe that the garnet’s name was derived from a word meaning “blood” because of its deep red color. Instead, the garnet is named from the pomegranate because of the blood-red seeds that are found on the inside of the fruit.

Fact found here.




AMBER

The softest and lightest gemstone on earth is amber. It is so light that it is able to float when in salt water. It is a stone that is a result of the sap and resin from prehistoric trees that have been fossilized. In order to be considered the gemstone that is amber, the fossilized sap needs to be at least 30 million years old. Most jewellery created with amber is made of Baltic amber, which is known to be the strongest type.

Fact found here.

PEARL

Each pearl takes between a year up to three years to come to fruition. When a pearl is cultivated, a small piece of shell or a bead, also known as the nucleus, is placed within the mollusk in order to grow into a pearl. These pearls are then harvested after they grow into the perfect size to create pieces of jewellery.

Fact found here. 
                                                                               
 

                                                                                   OPAL and TOURMALINE 

 





The opal and the tourmaline both hold the record for the most colourful gemstone. The tourmaline is also known as the “Rainbow Gem” because of the fact that it is the only gem that can come in every color. The opal is also a colourful stone, but some opals can be colorless. Opals can have flashes of color within their black or white background appearance.


Fact found here.

LAPIS LAZULI

During the Renaissance lapis was ground and processed to make the pigment ultramarine for use in frescoes and oil painting.

Fact found here.

Fact collection by Alexis
 

Cufflinks

Big Top cufflinks by Sasha Oda of Archerade

Black cufflinks by Ivane Thiebaut - perfect pair to add custom engraving to!

Blue cufflinks by Judith Noldin.

Petal cufflinks by Gillian E. Batcher, Pash Jewellery Design

Trillion cufflinks by Amanda Henderson, Jewelust

Wave cufflinks by Alexis Kostuk, Glaciale Goldsmith

SAVE OR SPLURGE Y'ALL!

Happy weekend everyone! It's a beautiful sunny day, so I hope you are out and about and enjoying yourself! If you feel like treating yourself to the sunshine and some jewellery, I have a few suggestions😊 It's save vs splurge saturday of course, so you can treat yourself a little, or you can treat yourself a lot.

These amaaaaazing druzy rings are by Alexis Kostuk of Glaciale Goldsmith. Druzy is a fine coating of crystals on the surface of a gemstone - in this case it's quartz druzy.

First up is this little gem. Simple and classic, but with some sweet detail around the stone to complement that sparkle. Sterling silver with quartz druzy, $125+hst.

 And for the splurge - nobody will miss this bad boy on your hand! It's a showstopper for sure, with one gorgeous freeform centre stone, and square accent stones on either side. Sterling silver with quartz druzy, $590+hst.

And here they are side by side. The big stone on the left photographed quite dark, but it is much lighter in person - you really must come in to take a look yourself!

Enjoy the sun, but don't forget the spf! xx

Canada Day

Dear Sunday Readers,

On July 1 1867, at noon, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Province of Canada came into a single Dominion within the British Empire called Canada.
On Canada Day, we celebrate our freedoms and rights. We honor the shared history, symbols, and values that define us Canadians. All of these things give us our identity.

Having my  citizenship as Canadian, after living for almost two thirds of my life abroad, made of Canada Day, a very special day, and it has a very special meaning. I got a second chance in life and I'm very proud of not only being Canadian but feeling Canadian too.

Canadian multiculturalism ensures we can keep our identities, can take pride in our ancestry, and have a sense of belonging.

These pictures tell volumes about what Canada is. I saw these two shops side by side in a mall on Leslie two blocks north of Sheppard on summer last year, and every single time I feel tired, lonely, overwhelmed, I see these pictures again and I say to myself, you lucky one, keep going!

In my second chance in life, I become a goldsmith, also now, I have a Canadian son (my son-in-law), and a Canadian grandchild.

Being Canadian is an honor, and a privilege; we all must celebrate Canada Day every day!. We are unique and blessed.

                                    Jewel Envy and its team wish Happy Birthday to Canada!

Have a happy Sunday.


Helena