8 handmade jewelry businesses to look out for

From beaded to fabric, here’s where to get the best handcrafted accessories in Canada

By Lynette George

From beaded earrings to jade rings, small businesses all across Canada are creating stunning handmade jewellery (Lynette George/CanCulture)

Ivy and Lua

Ivy and Lua is a Toronto-based handmade jewelry business that specializes in polymer clay earrings as well as stunning pearl and chain creations. Shefali Kalra started crafting these mini masterpieces as an outlet for her creativity in 2020. It’s only been a couple of years since she decided to start selling her creations, and her work is only getting better! A youth worker by day, you can find Kalra online or at various local markets, selling her pieces and spreading joy with her art!

JShine Design

A tribute to the land and all of its many offerings, JShine Design focuses on using natural elements to create wearable art. The small business focuses on jewelry made from home-tanned hides, vintage beads, shells, porcupine quills and more. Owned by Cree artist, Jessica Sanderson Barry, the company is located in Edmonton and ships all across Canada and internationally. Head to their website to learn more!

Velanidi

Toronto-based artist Dina Baxevanakis has cracked the code on fun statement earrings at her small business, Velanidi. Specializing in hyperrealistic food earrings (yes, food earrings), the shop is most popular for its “produce bag” collection. Using recyclable mesh bags to create miniature accessory versions of it, Baxevanakis handcrafts polymer clay food items to put into it, giving customers a perfect “fresh from the farmers market” look. It’s playful and more importantly, a great conversation starter! 

This Ilk

Founded by Tamara Bavdek in 2008, This Ilk is a Montreal-based business pushing the definition of what jewelry can truly be. Unlike most jewelry brands, This Ilk chooses to use vintage fabrics to create wearable art, giving a second life to materials that would have otherwise been discarded. Promoting sustainable fashion without compromising on quality or style, Bavdek’s vision is profound. If you’re searching for an eco-friendly alternative to fast fashion accessories, take a look at This Ilk’s website!

Haley Made

If you’re searching for a bright pop of colour to liven up your look, Haley Made is the right fit for you! With designs featuring iridescent pearls, pretty charms, beads and gold accents, the small business’ jewelry has a soft, delicate and hyper-feminine look. The owner, Haley Crespo, discovered jewelry making when she was hospitalized due to Lupus. Now, she has turned her passion into a business, creating everything from hair clips to phone charms, with the hope of spreading joy. Find Crespo on Instagram to learn more.

Bead n Butter

Bead n Butter is a growing small business based in Winnipeg that specializes in beaded earrings and necklaces, intricately made for everyone. Metis artist, Jessie Pruden, founded the company a few years ago after being enraptured by the art form. This year, if you’re looking to support a queer, disabled, Indigenous entrepreneur, or if you’re just looking for some mind-blowing beaded jewelry, check out Bead n Butter!

Running Fox Beads

Skye Paul’s Running Fox Beads is a force to be reckoned with in the world of handmade jewelry. A member of the English River First Nation, Paul works with traditional jewelry-making techniques, while still allowing room for innovation and modernization. The result — a set of perfectly beaded Cheeto earrings and a detailed blueberry bolo tie. Based in Toronto, check out Paul’s work online or at Kensington Market’s Wildflower Goods.

Jade House

Having been in the field for three generations, Jade House sells beautiful jade jewelry on their online shop and via social media. Made with Grade A Burmese jade, the Toronto-based small business sells everything from earrings to necklaces, carving each piece with precision. If you’re looking for some stunning jewelry that’s going to get you the best compliments, check out Jade House on Instagram.

3 Toronto creatives making their mark in design, fashion and lifestyle

Take a deep dive into the individuals causing ripple effects in Canada’s creative industries. 

By: Marianne Semaan

Sean Brown, Lisa Gozlan and Amanda Rach Lee

Those in the Toronto creative industries know that it’s not easy to make a mark. So it is all the more important to acknowledge the work of up-and-coming creators, especially when they’re based close to home. CanCulture has gathered three of our favourite Canadian creatives that are making a mark this year, ranging from the fields of fashion to design to illustration.

1. Sean Brown

Experimenting with furniture design, clothing and creative direction, Sean Brown is a multidisciplinary creative from Toronto who does not hold back from testing his creative limits. While Brown, 35, has been in the fashion realm since his clothing line release NEEDS&WANTS in 2013, his new ventures into homeware and creative direction have propelled him into an endless stream of popularity within the creative industries. 

Curves, the name for Brown’s homeware collection, can be classified as “a contemporary take on everyday objects” featuring a mirror in the shape of a puddle, casted hands incense holders and most famously, CD-shaped rugs with notable hip-hop albums.

When speaking about his work in an interview with the New York Times, Brown stressed the importance of including Black culture in everything he did. With a growing passion for designing homeware, Brown notes that his new design ventures will include creating full-blown furniture pieces such as tables, couches and bed frames. 

When he is not growing his furniture line, Brown takes his love for creating in another direction as the mastermind behind all of Daniel Caesar’s visual media. His most notable project entails his artwork behind Caesar’s Freudian — an album that was nominated for Artwork of the Year at the 2018 Juno Awards. 

2. Lisa Gozlan

Lisa Gozlan’s jewelry has most likely popped up on your Instagram feed at some point — especially her stackable rings and gold happy face bracelet. The young jewelry designer has always been in the creative scene as her exposure to design began from interning for Joseph Mimran, the founder of Joe Fresh. After numerous years working in the fashion industry, Gozlan leveraged her husband’s expertise and experience in the jewelry industry to finally start her own line. 

As her jewelry is prepared for everyday use and all walks of life, Gozlan adds her unique touch to timeless designs of rings, bracelets and earrings. Another element that contributes to the popularity of her pieces is affordability, with items starting from $40. While pieces can be more affordable, one thing Gozlan always keeps in mind is to never compromise style or quality—a guiding principle that continues to shape her newer designs. 

In the summer of 2021, Gozlan responded to her increasing demand and popularity by opening her very own showroom in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood. Located at 87 Cumberland St., the shop offers a curated display of pieces for shoppers to have a unique and hands-on experience with her work. 

3. Amanda Rach Lee 

Toronto-based creative Amanda Rach Lee is an artist and digital content creator that has taken the YouTube world by storm. At just 21 years old, Lee’s content focuses on DIY arts and crafts and bullet journaling — a form of journaling that merges drawing, planning and writing. In 2016, Lee started seeing success after posting her first bullet journaling video, a phenomenon that not many YouTubers had tapped into at the time. 

After witnessing a steady increase in success, it did not take long for Lee to drop out of X University’s media program and commit to YouTube full-time. Her work also exceeded the realms of YouTube as companies such as Microsoft, Crayola and Samsung saw her design potential and offered to collaborate on various sponsorships. In November of 2019, Lee took matters into her own hands and created her own planner that sold out at a Toronto pop-up shop in less than a day. 

In her most recent collaboration, Lee embraced her Canadian roots and partnered up with Tim Hortons to design limited edition, customized “Valen-Tims” cards. With the addition of Tim Hortons to her resume, there are no limits to what Lee can accomplish in 2022. 

Sweep them off their sweet: A Valentine's Day gift guide for everyone and anyone

Who said you had to be dating to celebrate Valentine's Day and give gifts? 

By: Samreen Maqsood

A COVID-19 and conversation candy hearts Valentine’s card (Via Etsy Canada)

The COVID-19 virus still may be in the air, but so is love! CanCulture rounded up some of the best gifts for our Valentine’s Day gift guide, but with a twist. This year, we wanted to emphasize self-love and romanticize platonic relationships, while featuring local Toronto businesses you can support.

Gifts for Yourself

Likely General

Likely General is a Toronto-based shop and community space. In late 2014, they opened up Likely General Gallery, a community-minded gallery that showcases new exhibits once a month. They offer everything from clothes and accessories to art and puzzles. Their jewelry ranges from $14 to $625. Treat yourself to a pair of Anishinaabe hand-beaded earrings that come in a range of colours and styles!

How much love can you candle?

2022 is the year of self-care and what better way to relax than with some aromatherapy candles? Logan and Finley is an eco-friendly Toronto shop that offers both an online and in-person shopping experience. Their products are sustainable, useful and pretty to look at! Along with personal care, home supplies and specialty food, they offer aromatherapy candles for $14 in five different scents: lavender and eucalyptus, bergamot and bay, peppermint, fir balsam and cedar and lavender.

Gifts for friends and family

Good Neighbour

You can never go wrong with a cute and cheesy Valentine’s Day greeting card. Good Neighbour is a local Leslieville fashion curator, offering clothes, jewelry, footwear, magic beans and potions. They offer a wide variety of greeting cards perfect for a day of love and sharing, ranging from $6.99 for a single card to $35 for a set of six. Put a smile on a friend or family member’s face with their assorted pun-related cards!

“You’re worth the wait” Valentine’s Day greeting card. (Via goodnbr.com)

Brodawka & Friends

Brodawka & Friends is a Toronto-based gift shop that specializes in Mexican and Portuguese footwear. Founded by a couple who graduated from OCAD University in industrial design, the shop also offers accessories, kitchen supplies and baby goods. They offer cute jewelry holders and trinket dishes ranging from $18 to $24 — the perfect gift for anyone who loves jewelry and needs more storage space!

Mango wood bowl mini solstice trinket dish. (Via brodawkaandfriends.com)

Gifts for a Special Someone

Slow Poke Soap

Slow Poke Soap offers handmade cold process soaps in different shapes and scents. Their Valentine’s Day gift offerings include a one soap gift box for $12 or a two soap gift box for $22 — and you can even add in a cute towel for $8. You can customize your soap bars in the shape of a heart envelope or XOXO!

Northside of the Map (NSOTM)

Valentine’s Day gifts for that special guy can seem hard. But we got you covered with NSOTM. This Toronto-based streetwear and lifestyle company founded in 2012 centres their mascot, Nanuk, a polar bear found only in the Northern regions of the world. They offer a wide range of clothes; hoodies, shirts, beanies, socks and more! Treat your partner to one of their waffle knit hats for $28 — they come in 14 different colours.