Blog
How a Stone is Set
Today I promised to give you a behind-the-scenes look of the creation of a piece I posted yesterday on Instagram: an engagement ring which happens to involve the September birthstone: sapphire! This one is Australian, and – like many Australian…
Are all Lab-Grown Diamonds more Ethical?
It’s not so simple I hear and read it again and again: claims that laboratory-grown diamonds are more ethical, more sustainable, greener. Did you know that – according to the Competition Bureau of Canada, it is illegal to make a…
Above and Beyond ‘Recycled’ Silver and Gold
Recycling was cool. Remember when recycling was the coolest thing? We were feeling ok about using plastic copiously, because we could recycle it. Remember when buying something made from ‘recycled plastics’ made you feel kinda good? And then we found…
The Diamond Truth: Misinformation in the Diamond Industry
Recently, I came across a CBC Marketplace special investigation on diamond claims. As an independent goldsmith, I was curious to see what they had uncovered, hoping to learn something new. However, what they ‘revealed’ are all facts I have been…
Coal and Gold Mines
The first real snow fell here in Halifax this weekend, which was kind of fun, I won’t lie. On Friday, schools were closed. While I definitely worry about people who have to show up for work regardless, and may be…
Peru Protests
Oh there is just so much violence right now. What is happening in Iran is awful. The suffering continues in Ukraine. Haiti, Yemen, Ethiopia, Myanmar. And in Peru the death toll of protesters being killed by police is rising. President…
Relax and Open
This morning is such an interesting one. So varied for so many people. Some will be exhausted from preparations late into the night, from creating magic in their children’s lives, who will wake excitedly and too early. Others will feel…
My Creative Journey aka Retired Pieces
Over the years there have been many pieces that have come into fruition from my imagination into metal, and then at some point my inspiration shifted and other Series evolved. Here is an archive of some of my retired collections. …
Gold with a Conscience: Why I’m using ethical Fairmined ECO Gold
Why Fairmined Gold? For months now, I have been experimenting with a new technique, making sample after sample, fiddling with results, and continuously improving the design and new technique. And I have been doing a lot of thinking, because ……
All About my OneFooter Collection
Initial Inspiration I am always interested in working with line, exploring manipulation of the line itself, and of volume created through line. And I love to move metal. My OneFooter Series is the most pivotal example of these creative passions. …
Sterling Silver Rings with Gems – Limited Time Left!
– June 17th, 2021 – Are you sitting down? I will not create any more OneFooter rings with gems in sterling silver. Going forward I will only put gems on top of 18k gold or palladium white gold rings. For one thing: if ever…
What Ring Size am I?
How do you figure out what ring size you are in a reliable way? This has been something that had come up often as a jeweller, helping my clients find the right size for custom and online jewellery. The most…
Jewellery Design Training – In Conversation my Former Professor, Pamela Ritchie
I was honoured to be joined in conversation by my former professor, Pamela Ritchie, governor-general-award winning jewellery artist. Pamela is an artist‐jeweller based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She received her MFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and…
Palladium White Gold
PALLADIUM WHITE GOLD Yellow gold certainly has been making a huge come-back. But let me introduce you to an alternative: 18k palladium white gold. Palladium white gold is beautifully dense and strong, and is wonderful to work with as a…
How to Care for Your Jewellery
EXPERT Advice with Dorothée Rosen JEWELLERY CARE Handcrafted jewellery was made with great care; it is lovely to treat it in the same way. Generally, follow common sense: shower or wash your hands and put on lotions, perfumes or deodorants…
August birthstone: Spinel
EXPERT Advice with Dorothée Rosen Spinel • August’s Birthstone I bet half of you will be surprised to read that there is a birthstone for August which you’ve never even heard of? It’s true – and what a beauty it…
Pearls
EXPERT Advice with Dorothée Rosen Pearls An Introduction About a year ago, I started working again with pearls, and launched a new pearl series, so I thought this would be a good time to briefly discuss these amazing gems. Salt…
Grainfree Baking
How is Jewellery Made? Fabrication
EXPERT Advice with Dorothée Rosen How is jewellery made? Fabrication As explained in my last article about casting, some designs lend themselves to being created in wax and then being cast from molten metal. Other designs are better suited to…
Gold
EXPERT Advice with Dorothée Rosen More info on my Materials and Sustainability page .> Let’s have a look at gold today – not the stock market version, but the good, hard, solid, wearable variety – a view ‘from the other…
How is Jewellery Made? Casting
EXPERT Advice with Dorothée Rosen How is jewellery made? Casting Have you ever wondered how jewellery is made? Almost any piece of precious metal jewellery comes to life by being either ’fabricated’ or ‘cast’. Let me tell you about casting!…
Sapphires
EXPERT Advice with Dorothée Rosen Sapphire, along with ruby, emerald, and diamonds, have been the most important precious gemstones for centuries. Let me tell you some things you probably didn’t know about this popular gem! Colour As diamonds are made…
5 days stopping
Welcome to 2020. I can’t believe we are already two weeks in! It’s been an interesting transition: to move on from the teens and into the tweens of the twothousands. People seem unusually excited and hopeful, yet there are the…
Thank Yous, Behind the Scenes, and Delicious Meals
I have just returned from bringing my work directly to clients at shows in Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax and Toronto by way of CircleCraft Market, Calgary Art Market, and a Pop-Up at Toronto’s shopAGO. As always, it was delightful to speak…
Slow Down
If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed that I disappeared for almost two weeks. I indeed went away – not only physically, but also in terms of my mind. I spent this time participating in a…
Spinel as August Birthstone
I recently started writing a Expert Advice column in ReFined Magazine here in Halifax. I thought I’d share a recent one, which speaks to Spinel. History The concept of associating specific gemstones with specific months is thought to originate in…
Thanks and see you soon – across Canada
Dear WestVan, thank you for having me. The annual Harmony Arts Festival is just such a joy ! I remember the first time I was invited to participate in this wonderful event – and what a delight it has been,…
