Thursday, March 29, 2012

Padparadscha sapphires and rubies

It's spring! So exciting. There is so much going on at the studio. We are doing a bit of renovating and refreshing to make space to accomodate our newest addition to the team. Welcome Meredith! We are also taking some new professional Photographs of the work to refresh the website and business cards. It's amazing to think that this is my 10th year at the Distillery.
We will be taking part in our first bridal show coming up on april 15th. It's a small boutique event at one king west here in Toronto called the original wedding soiree. Here is the link http://www.weddingsforher.ca. I look forward to meeting lots of new brides to be.
And then there is the small business of goldsmithing. Today alone I delivered 4 engagement rings and this beautiful pair or ruby and diamond earrings set in red gold. I am starting to see a trend this year towards warm tones. We are making lots if rings and earrings in colours ranging from light lemony yellows to warm ambers all the way to intense cognacs infused with undertones of pink. Luckily sapphires come in every tone and intensity, the most prized is a perfect balance between orange and pink and is called Padparadscha.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

New work

January is one of my favourite months at the studio. It brings a slightly slower pace than the summer months and as a result I can take a bit of time and really enjoy the process of making custom rings. I have a fun job!
This spectacular engagement ring was commissioned this month. We used a rose cut diamond with pavé accents and hand engraving to design a vintage inspired ring that channels a bit of Deco and a bit of Edwardian, but with its own unique style. Thanks Marty and congratulations!

This cocktail ring is clean and simple and shows off the cushion cut Rhodolite garnet. With distinctive hints of red and violet it's a very cool gem!
My brother Traven has taken some nice shots of new gems, and I will share them in my next post.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Rutilated quartz ring is finshed!

It's a new year and it's going to be an exciting one here at the studio! We have gotten off to a great start with some very cool new custom projects that I will be writing about next week, including a spectacular pair of ruby earrings. We have also been  finishing up one or two speculative projects from 2011.
The rutilated quartz ring is finally finished and boy is it special! 18k yellow gold and pave diamonds! Wear it to a cocktail party and you will turn some heads.