Join us for the Embrace Valentine Cocktail on Thursday, February 11, 2010 from 7pm till 10pm at Magnolia, 333 Eglinton Avenue West for a special Valentine’s event featuring the wearable art of Bijouxbead. Meet jewellery designer Darlene Martin in person and treat yourself – or the one you love – to something special.
I attended the Bijouxbead Holiday 2009 Interactive Pop Up Show Community Reception to get a look at the collection of necklaces influenced by Canadian Designers
David Dixon
The show will kick off with a unique interactive display of eight one of a kind necklaces, all of which happen to be eight stranded, designed to pay homage to eight Canadian Fashion Designers.
Evan Biddell
Paul Hardy
Each piece was a thrill to design; I studied these designer’s spring summer 2010 collections at great length, that were shown at Toronto’s LG Fashion Week. I came up with colour, texture and scale for these pieces based on my interpretation of the clothing in their collections that were most notable to me.
Vawk
Andy The Anh
Unlike my previous collections, this collection is exclusively glass, crystal and sterling -a big departure for me. All together, I incorporated over thirteen thousand six hundred pieces of glass and two thousand four hundred pieces of crystal into these eight necklaces.
Amie
Brandon Dwyer
Also, for the first time in Bijouxbead history, I will be introducing crystal and sterling earrings. Over thirty colours will be represented.
There was a necklace dedicated to Jason Meyers, but it was sold before I arrived.
December 1 – 14
The Atelier of The Fair Trade Jewellery Company
523 Parliament St., Toronto
647-430-8741
Hours
Mon-Tue by appointment only
Wed-Fri 12:30pm-8:00pm
Sat-Sun 11:30am-6:00pm
Necklace By Jenny Bird in Collaboration With Alexandra Weston Vintage brass Coconut shell
I was invited to 18Karat Goldsmiths for a private preview of the The Uniti Collection before it went up for auction. 18Karat is one of those stores that I’ve walked by again and again without entering. This preview would be my first exposure to the fine jewellery store. There is a working studio on site so it was fun the process of creating jewellery right in front of you. 18Karat sells pieces from local designers as well as their own custom work. I also learned that 18Karat is an 40 year old business.
Uniti Charity Auction is a collaboration between Canadian celebrities and jewellery designers that benefits the Red Door Family Shelter.
Dress Ring By Alisha Boyd in Collaboration With Athena Karkanis, Sterling silver ,Enamel ,Lab grown padparadscha sapphire
18Karat paired jewellery designers with Canadian celebrities for the Uniti Charity Auction, to create jewellery to be auctioned November 12 to 26, in support of the Red Door Family shelter.
18Karat approached Canadian jewellery designers and celebrities and asked them if they could collaborate to create a piece of jewellery that aesthetically expresses the meaning of home, family and community.
“Family homelessness and domestic violence is a cause that resonates among all,” explained Dino Giannetti, master goldsmith and co-owner of 18Karat. “Creating the Uniti Collection and collaborating with so many artists in support of the Red Door Family Shelter has been a wonderful experience, and an opportunity for us all to give to the community in a unique way.”
Celebrities rallying their time and inspiration to developing the Uniti Collection include:
Alexandra Weston and the Weston Family, fashion icons
World Figure Skating Champion, Elvis Stojko
Actors Gordon and Leah Pinsent
Breakfast Television hosts Dina Pugliese and Jennifer Valentyne
Singer-song writer Justin Hines
Jonas Chernick and Athena Karkanis, stars of CBC TV’s The Border
Country music star Aaron Pritchett
Degrassi: The Next Generation stars Raymond Ablack and Paula Brancati
Jewellery was co-created by the following designers: Meghan Schnarr; Amy Kovach; Kim Drosdick; Samatha Hawkes; Dino Giannetti; Therese Cruz; Vanessa Laurin; Darlene Martin; Suzanne Crudden; Alisha Boyd; Jenny Bird; and Shelly Purdy.
It was really neat to get a chance to see the collection in person and touch it. I have some favourite pieces they are shown in this post.
Rose Quartz and Onyx Pendant By Vanessa Laurin (Designer) and Dino Giannetti (Goldsmith) in Collaboration With Elvis Stojko, 18 Karat gold, Rose, quartz, Rhodonite, Black onyx
I was drawn to this piece the most. It’s very art deco. Vanessa is the person who contacted me so I found it amusing that I liked her piece the best.
The Uniti Collection can be previewed in person at 18Karat Goldsmiths, 275 Dundas Street West from November 12 to 26, 2009 or online at www.uniti.ca. It’s on till the 26th.
During my vacation I had the pleasure of meeting with local jewellery designer Darlene Martin of Bijouxbead. We connected on twitter and she wanted to show me her work. Darlene is a former professional figure skating coach and doesn’t have a jewellery making background. It was very interesting to hear how she found herself making jewellery. It all started with an impromptu jewellery making class with young her daughter that sparked her creative interest. In 2007 BijouxBead Wearable Art was formed.
BijouxBead necklaces are usually characterized by a glass bead. It’s the focal point of the necklace. The lampwork glass bead is handmade by Darlene by hand. They take on various shapes and textures. I really liked the weight to these pieces and the tactile nature of the glass. I spent a lot of time examining the bead on the brown necklace. The colours were so intricately laced together that I mistook it for stone initially. The full collection include necklaces, bracelets and earrings that are all handmade using glass, semi-precious gem stones and sterling silver.
Until August 31st, Darlene Martin will be helping to fund the efforts of PARC through her “Summer in Parkdale” collection being shown at Made You Look Jewellery Gallery, 1338 Queen Street West.
One of PARC’s programs provides the opportunity for 40-50 of its members to experience the great outdoors at Camp Kandalore in Minden, Ontario. This summer, Darlene Martin of Bijouxbead (www.bijouxbead.com) will be helping to fund these efforts through her “Summer in Parkdale” collection…Honouring Parkdale’s story, challenges and reputation as a destination for local contemporary art & culture, this exclusive collection from Bijouxbead combines alluring metal, stone and glass in hues ranging from steel to pewter to blue. Named after significant Parkdale historical landmarks, a portion of the proceeds from Summer in Parkdale is being put back into the community, benefiting PARC, “a community where people rebuild their lives”.
The Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre (PARC) is a drop-in community centre located in the west end of Toronto, an area known for its harsh social climate. PARC has been operating for over two decades and offers support to help sort out a life; it is a springboard for self-improvement, finding shelter, getting education, and getting work. PARC is located at 1499 Queen Street West and can be reached at 416-537-2262 or online at www.parc.on.ca.(source)
