Toronto Outdoor Art Fair

Hello our lovely readers,

I cannot believe it is already the end of June! Is everyone ready for the long weekend? Well today, I have an exciting event to share with you to prepare you for July!

The annual Toronto Outdoor Art Fair is happening on July 6th - 8th! It is Canada’s largest and longest-running contemporary outdoor art fair. This free public event showcases works by over 340 contemporary visual artists and makers, ranging in medium from painting, photography, and mixed media to jewellery and ceramics, and attracts 115,000 visitors each year to Nathan Phillips Square.

I will also be showcasing my jewellery works for the first time at the TOAF. Please come by and check out my works!

@ Nathan Phillips Square

Friday July 6  10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday July 7 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday July 8  10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

I will be located at Booth A23 in Zone A! Hope to see you all there! Here are some of my works below.

Thank you for reading and I hope everyone will have a fantastic long weekend! Happy Canada Day!

Hoi Yi

You are gorgeous!

You are gorgeous!


Hello Sunday Readers,


Maybe today you are under your favorite blanket with a nice cup of coffee and a great book, but for now I'm still enjoying the sunny days of earlier this week, until the summer is here to stay!
Today is a good day to remember,  we are:  Fresh, Fierce, Frivolous, Fun, Fancy, Fast, Flirty, Fantastic, Gorgeous, we are....unique.

Come visit us at Jewel Envy, where we can help you choose a piece that reflects your uniqueness.

See you soon and have a great Sunday!

Helena

Let's use your old jewellery to create something new!

One of the things we tell new visitors to the studio is that along with custom work we do repairs and redesigns. I always get excited when people have follow up questions. I find its common for people to have a few pieces that they are keeping, but are not wearing because the style isn't something they are excited to wear. We can assess old gold jewellery and let you know what can be melted and reused and anything that cannot be reused can be taken to a refinery and be used as payment towards creating a new piece.  

The exciting part is discussing ideas and direction for how you would like your jewellery transformed. We encourage people to check out work created by the onsite goldsmiths and we can set up a consultation with them. Otherwise, whomever is on retail can discuss and take down details with you. After an initial consult you receive sketches and quotes for style options and once you are happy with a design we start creating for you.

We removed the diamond and melted the gold to make our client a new ring.

If you have jewellery that is not getting to see sunlight we encourage you to drop in and start the process of redesigning with us. We love transforming pieces into something you are excited to wear and show off!

- Alexis

Fossilized gemstones

Fossilized coral. Rough variations and polished cabochons.

Opalized wood variations.

Fossilized pharyngeal plates from fish. The rough variation shown above with cabochons below. Commonly called "snakeskin cabochons."

More and more we are finding interesting gems online. The exciting thing about online finds are the breadth of possibilities and unique pieces that would be overlooked by most gem suppliers. There are so many options that overlap with people that collect fossils and minerals that can easily be used to make unique jewellery pieces. If you are interested in a unique piece made into jewellery we can work together to source the perfect specimen!
- Alexis

Summer in Toronto

Summer in Toronto

Dear Sunday reader,

It's the time of year when Torontonians spill out onto the streets, filling parks, patios and bike paths. Summer in the city means food, music and cultural festivals nearly every weekend.

Among many great things to be part of this summer, we have CANADA DAY July 1^st, a celebration of  joy and pride for all Canadian; you can stick around for spectacular fireworks in the evening.

 

The renowned TD Toronto Jazz Festival returns with jazz artists performing in and around the city. Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin will be in Toronto among many great artists.

Summer in Toronto means seeing Canada’s longest-running outdoor theater event, Shakespeare in High Park. 

The internationally acclaimed entertainment company Cavalia brings its latest production, Odysseo to Mississauga this summer, a great opportunity to enjoy the summer with our kids.

Toronto is a city full of activities, do not miss the great outdoors, SUMMER IS HERE.

At the corner of Roncesville and Marion is Jewel Envy.  We are excited to share our new ideas for the summer and explore new creations:  for redesigning your jewellery or custom making something special that you have been dreaming of.

                                                 Custom Diamond ring. hplafaurie.ca


You are always welcome to browse and be inspired at Jewel Envy.

Have a nice Sunday!


Helena

Tips from a goldsmith

One of the pieces of info that we give customers continuously is about white gold. Gold starts out yellow and to change it to white either nickel or palladium is added. Rings in North America are most commonly a mixture of nickel and gold. *The EU actually has a nickel directive to restrict the use of nickel in jewellery* The benefit of nickel is that it is less expensive; the downside is that you can have an allergy that you may not be aware of, or even develop an allergy overtime to it. Rhodium plating is most commonly used to serve as a barrier and gives the metal a bright white colour. However, all plating eventually wears off dependent on the thickness of the plating, your own skin acidity, how you treat and wear your rings exposing the nickel to your skin. This could mean maintaining your ring by rhodium plating when needed. 

Another alternative is selecting a metal that is hypoallergenic (see above image). Palladium and platinum are white metals that will not aggravate your skin. Palladium is part of the platinum family of metals and shares the same hypoallergenic properties and can be added to gold to create white gold (just as nickel is added to create nickel white gold).

Sometimes even having a ring made with a hypoallergenic material is not enough, then what?!

Irritation can also be caused by build of soap or lotions that are being caught underneath the ring. Surface irritation dermatitis is often associated with moisture being trapped between the ring and your finger, causing unpleasant friction and the breakdown of your skin’s protective layer. To help prevent this, make sure you dry your hands thoroughly after washing them. This will reduce the chance of unwanted friction. We always recommend that you take your jewellery before showering, swimming, and before you go to bed so you are not trapping any moisture under your ring and to give your finger a bit of a break.

If your finger has developed an irritation be sure that you are exploring all your options. Also be sure that you are taking your ring off (please don't just leave it on!) Switching fingers if necessary and allowing your skin time to heal. Hydro cortisone can help with reactions to nickel combined with keeping the skin moisturized to help it heal. Another tip that I've come across lately is using a barrier cream which can also help to reduce irritation. Regardless, as a goldsmiths we are always happy to field questions like this. 

-Alexis