I made a thing-- with a friend!

I was sad to miss the Living Room Show and Sale (I ended up having the dreaded Covid and couldn’t attend).  My friend and colleague Carolina and I unveiled an art collaboration that weekend that we have been working on for a number of months, and I’m sharing a bit about it here .

I first met Carolina over a year ago, and one of the things that I noticed about her work, and our conversations was an interest in networks and I thought, hey!  immunology is all about networks.  I'd been wanting to do a collaboration for a while. Carolina’s sensibilities appealed to me, and I really admire what she does with thread.  A lot of my work is based on the systems, cells and concepts of the immune system, and with the pandemic, it seemed rather timely to work out some ideas about the pandemic through a nice collaborative project.  So we did. The final result came out of conversations, and some experimentation with some ideas about some new jewellery work I wanted to undertake.  So, I present to you ImmUnity.  I hope that if you haven't seen it in person yet, at some point you will be able to!

My contributions explore three different elements: some of the major player cells of the immune system,  how some processes within the immune system work, and some explorations of the way in which people behaved during the pandemic in various situations, and how that relates to our perceptions of public health in general. Overall, we are all interconnected, whether we wish to be or not, despite our differences.

Carolina created crocheted cellular shapes that representf the concept of herd immunity from an intuitive approach. We're constantly in contact with invisible-to-the-eye organisms and our bodies work relentlessly to neutralise them, to keep us healthy. The dynamics of cell populations in the body mirrors what happens at a large scale in human populations. Each unit neutralises the pathogen and with the knowledge of this process, works towards protecting the community whether they are made of cells or humans.
 
Binding the shapes into a cohesive whole simultaneously shows the strength and the fragility of coming together.

I feel tremendously privileged to have been able to work with Carolina on this project, and it really fed something creative in me this year, as well as helping to process some of my thoughts and feelings about what happened with the pandemic over the last few years.

I made the fabric discs using different quilting and embroidery techniques, and it needs to be seen in person to really appreciate the 3-dimensional nature of the panels and the crocheted elements!

Macrophage/monocyte infected with fluorescent bacteria, B cells and their antibodies (which can be secreted from the cell, T cells with their unique receptors, Blood cells(Left bottom, left top, right top, right bottom).  The brooches are 5cm in diameter.

In parallel with the art collaboration, I had started working on a new series of work, which I am calling the Portholes on Immunity.  They follow a similar theme, in that they are all about cells and systems in the immune system, but in a smaller, wearable format.  I've started with four brooches.  They're 5 cm in diameter, with sterling silver frames and a handmade brooch back, with quilted, embroidered, and trapunto'd aspects (trapunto is a quilting technique where you stuff extra layers of batting in small areas to create a more raised effect-- it's quite fun!). I used plain oakshott cotton for the base, quite deliberately. Shot cottons are formed of two colours- 1 in the warp, and 1 in the weft, giving them a characteristic sheen, and appearing, sometimes quite startlingly, different colours depending on how the light hits them.  This really is congruous for me with the way that the immune system has many different facets, and you get different results depending on the situation.

I love a good story!

I love doing custom work with a good story behind it. It’s indescribable the joy I can get from helping someone realize a vision (even one they didn’t have), while salvaging sentimental bits. The client for this project came in with a broken engagement ring, that had been sitting in a drawer for many years (it had cracked down the sizing join). She decided it was high time to have it re-done. She also had a number of different rings from her parents and grandparents, including a number of other diamonds, in addition to the lovely trillion garnet in the original ring. After some back and forth, we settled on a spectacular statement ring, incorporating all the diamonds and the trillion garnet, as well as bits of gold from all the rings that were very sentimental for her (including the original engagement ring!). The rest of the gold was refined from broken bits that she had rolling around her jewellery box.

All the rings that contributed old gold to the new ring! It was a bit of a mishmash of different karat weights!

We settled eventually on a design of a Faerie Leaf Crown, of oak and ivy leaves— this totally suits the client’s pagan sensibitilites!

Once the carving was done, I cast the ring in two pieces - the base ring and the crown.

Here they are, fresh out of the casting flask!

Then it was just clean up, joining the two, and getting the stones set. The final ring was amazing, and the client loved it!

Here it is on her finger :)

Here’s a closer view, there are some small diamonds nestled into the leaves at the sides!

Got stuff rolling around the bottom of your jewellery box that you can’t part with, but wish you wanted to wear more? Send me an email and let’s talk about what can be done! this ring was almost entirely paid for with the sale of old metal that the client had hanging around.

Surface finishes- a short guide

Everyone knows the obvious way to finish stirling silver— that awesome high mirror shine polish. I do alot of this, but it’s not my favourite way of finishing. Here are some other ways that I like to finish my silver jewellery.

Mirror Polish on the Stem Cell pendant

I love the high polish on these pieces, particularly with the felt in the “nuclei” of the “cells”

OXIDATION: This is the process of blackening the surface of the silver, this is really a process where you take the oxidation (or tarnishing, as most people would think it!) of the surface to completion. I love this treatment, I like the blackened look. However, it also is great to highlight texture on silver, as you can blacken the metal, and then partially repolish the surface. This is a common technique. I use a special solution, but actually, you can do it with eggs and a sealed container (because there is sulfur in eggs, and this causes tarnish!). The only drawback is that it is not a permanent finish, and on areas that it contacts skin, or rubs against other surfaces, it will eventually wear. Also, in very humid environments, and depending on your skin chemistry, it can wear faster or slower. The good news is, that it’s fairly easy to renew the finish! And I seal the surface of my pieces, which also helps to prolong the life of the patina.

Oxidation and the M pendant

I love the contrast between the dark silver surface and the teal felt. The darkened surface really helps the colour of the felt pop!

MATTE: Not everyone likes such a high shine on their jewellery, and it can make it hard to discern detail in alot of pieces. One option is to go for a natural silver finish, that is matte. Here, the piece is finished to the same high quality as to achieve a mirror polish, but then I rub it with very fine sand paper, to take the shine off again. I like to use this alot. It gives a nice soft silver sheen to the surface, and really allows the design to shine.

Matte finish on my spillage ring

If you look closely, you can see the difference between the shine on the inside surface of the ring, and the matte finish of the surface of the ring.

SAND BLASTING: This is a kind of matte finish, but adds an additional appearance of texture. The piece is finished to a high polish, and then a special machine with glass or stone (our machine uses ruby!) particles is used to bombard the surface of the metal, cutting into the surface, and giving it the characteristic texture.

Sandblasting on RBC half hoop earrings

Sandblasting gives an almost sparkle to the surface of these earrings, giving them a different look to many other pieces.

I love being able to finish things in different ways, it helps bring an additional dimension to jewellery. How about you? What’s your favourite finish?

Living Room Show + Sale this Saturday!

I’m so excited that I’m going to be participating in my very first Living Room show and sale this Saturday! My colleague and friend, textile artist Carolina Reis, invited me to exhibit with her this coming Saturday, October 14th from the comfort of her living room! This is a unique opportunity to see new work that we’ve been working on, and enjoy some relaxed conversation, and refreshments.

We’ll be around from 2-6pm, and you’re welcome to drop by! It would be great if you could RSVP, so we know how much food and drink to have on hand!

I don’t want to spoil the surprises in store for you, but here’s some hints….

New Red Blood Cell series of jewellery: Red Blood cells are vital for life.  Did you know that in humans they don't have a nucleus?  This means that they don't have DNA, and gives them their characteristic "donut" shape.

These light, contemporary interpretations of flowing blood cells are cast in sterling silver, and finished by hand.

Here’s a teaser — if you want to see what I’ve done with all the little panels I’ve been working on recently, come out on Saturday and see the finished items!

Focus on Stem Cells - Collaboration piece

Stem cells. What do you know about them? With the rise of the concept of stem cells, you’ve probably heard them both exalted and vilified in the media. There’s a lot of hype. What you may not know is that the original identified stem cell was actually the blood cell stem cell or hematopoietic stem cell (see what I did there? It all comes back to immunology!). In fact, HSCs have been in use for therapy for a long time, particularly for cancer treatment. You can read in more detail about this on the Canadian Cancer Society website, which has a nice, accessible description about it.

While most stem cell therapies remain more science fiction than science fact, there is a lot of research happening around stem cells, and understanding their development, as well as how they can be used to intervene in health and other areas of biology. One researcher focusing on this area is my colleague and friend, Prof. Jennifer Mitchell, based at the Cell and Systems Design Department of University of Toronto. So, when she approached me about designing some special pieces for her, I was excited about the opportunity to work with her again. I had made a one-off piece for her previously: a representational ball of stem cells, in my early days of designing. This time, the brief was to revisit that piece, evoking her focus of using embryonic stem cells models to understand how the develop into other cell types.

A hint of the first piece I made in 2019, alongside the microscopic image of a stained ball of ES cells. The blue staining is a nuclear (DNA) stain that fluoresces blue under the right wavelength of light!

I fabricated this one, and it had alot of features that I liked, but it had some aspects that I wanted to fine tune more, so it was great to have a chance to reconsider this design for something that I could produce again in the future. This time, I went the casting route, and carved something in wax.

Wax model of stem cell ball

This allowed me to make something flatter, but still with a lot of dimension. I then added a back plate to close it, a simple, hidden bail, and added the felt, and voila! A new sophisticated cousin was born.

Finished pendant, sterling silver with needled blue felt

I’m loving the way it turned out (and Jen was pretty pleased too!). You can see one of these on display in Cell Systems and Biology, if you’re passing that way, along with more explanation about Prof. Mitchell’s research. Want one of your very own, or know someone who would? You can visit my Shop Page to get one!

Visit Dundas, see one of my pieces in person!

I’m so excited to share with you that one of my pieces will be on view at the Carnegie Gallery in Dundas in October!

You might remember my “Spillage” ring that I shared a while ago. I like to apply for juried exhibitions, especially other places. I’m always eager to share my work, and it’s always an honour to me to be accepted. The Carnegie Gallery only does an open juried exhibition once every two years, and this year, I put forward two pieces, and they accepted my “Spillage” ring for this year’s exhibition. Yay!

The exhibition runs from October 6th - November 5th 2023. The opening reception is October 6th, hope to see you there, and keep your fingers crossed that I win an award !

New Retail Outlet!!

I’m very pleased to announce that you can see my work (in person!) at the Craft Ontario Shop on Queen Street West.

If you don’t know about Craft Ontario, they’re a not-for-profit organisation that supports craft across Ontario. Part of this is through the Craft Ontario Shop. They are fantastic promoter of professional craft, and it’s a bit of a milestone for me, as an artist, to have them take my work for sale. If you haven’t been there before, they have a fantastic selection of quality craft work that is definitely worth seeing (if not buying :). They also always have an exhibition in the back half of the shop space, which is also always worth seeing (and free!).

This is just one of the pieces by me that you’ll find in the Craft Ontario shop! I call them my Misfits of Science pearl ring. With its classic pearl, and whimsical cup, it’s a great stacking ring that will stand out.

Art, Science and a day out this Saturday at Science Rendezvous

The weather seems to be perking up, and so is the exhibition/event season. I’m excited to be able to participatein the SciArt Gallery as part of Science Rendezvous this coming Saturday, May 13th, 2023, 11am - 5pm . Come out to see my jewellery in person, hear more about why and how I do my art, and see some new work that I will be unveiling in person.

Science Rendezvous:

·        Is FREE

·        Is an annual, all-day festival

·        Brings science out of the lab, onto the street

·        Encourages public involvement in STEAM (science, technology, engineering art and mathematics)

·        Involves U of T departments, local organisations and community

·        Engages interest, and encourages hands-on experiments

Hope you make it out on Saturday! Stop by to see me, in the Sydney Smith building at the University of Toronto St. George campus, and say hello!

Treat yourself with this special opportunity

I’d like to tell you a short-ish story about a colleague and his family, as well as the opportunity to buy jewellery and help a family in need at the same time!

My colleague at Jewel Envy, Shafiq Sarwari, is a talented, kind, and hardworking goldsmith and lapidarist (he cuts and polishes stones) who came to Canada in 2016, escaping the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Now Shafiq’s family is in peril. After their actions as collaborators with the US armed forces during their residence in Afghanistan, they had to flee to Pakistan, leaving everything behind in order to survive. Currently, they are refugees in Pakistan, but can’t stay there indefinitely.

Including parents, siblings and nieces/nephews, there are seven adults and five children who are being sponsored to come to Canada.  The adults are all highly educated, and eager to contribute to life in Canada, but the financial requirements for them to come through the government refugee sponsorship program are pretty hefty.  There is a Group of Five who have committed to sponsoring this special family group, with a goal of raising $120 000 to support them through their first year in Canada.

As a group, I and my colleagues (past and present) at Jewel Envy are doing a fundraising event to support our valued colleague.  This is an online auction for jewellery that is open now, until early June.

Although the goldsmiths have been given the opportunity to receive part of the payment for any of their individual pieces sold, I have elected to donate my pieces in their entirety. The great thing about the auction is that there is such a range of prices and styles, you’re sure to find something to suit you!

Amethyst and sterling silver necklace

Please help me support my amazing colleague, Shafiq, in making it possible for his family to start a new life free of fear and persecution by (either, or both!):

• Bidding generously on the auction items (it is also possible to donate through this platform. To save the processing fees charged by the platform, feel free to contact Jewel Envy- info@jewelevny.ca - to find out how to contribute directly to the sponsorship fund.)

• Please share the auction with your friends, family, and network. If everyone contributes just a fraction of what they can, we’ll reach our goal.

Citrine and sterling silver pendant on a snake chain

If you are interested in other events that are going to occur to support this special initiative, I’d love to hear from you!  Email, and let me know!

Breaking News.....

It’s almost the end of the week (although not so much for me!), and I thought I’d share a bit of news with you. If you were wondering more about me, and some of my jewellery processes, you can head over to a website called The Node. They have a regular feature on a SciArtist, and this month, they’re featuring me!

You can see the feature here. Happy reading!

Have a great weekend!