Officially launching her designing career in 2003, Rita Tesolin was quickly labelled the “Stone Angel” by Elle Canada. She joined its “Hot 100” list and was later named “The Costume Queen” by Flare Magazine.

She has collaborated with many Canadian clothing designers and has been featured in countless magazine editorials. Rita continues to impress with spectacular, ground-breaking, one-of-a-kind jewellery and art projects year after year.

Her creations have been showcased on Canadian and American celebrities alike. Rita’s designs have been worn regularly by the hostesses of television shows such as E-Talk, Project Runway Canada, Canada’s Next Top Model, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, The Social, and Canada’s Drag Race.

-Written by Kelly Donovan

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Which ‘hood are you in?

My studio is located in the New Fashion District, in the Dufferin and Lawrence area.

What do you do?

I am a Jewellery Designer and Artist. I spend approximately 80% of my creative time designing and producing very distinct and statement accessories – jewellery, handbags, and various body adornments. A smaller portion of my career has many facets. I embellish Geodes, bottles and other items used as home decor and/or art.

I have been commissioned for special creative projects. I enjoy the area of sustainability. I collaborate with clients who want to re-purpose and re-design their accessories so they can once again be enjoyed.

What are you currently working on?

I recently worked with the Director of the International Fashion Encounter (IFE), Jason Cameron, on a collaborative effort with HP Canada. The fruits of my labour were unveiled at the 13th Edition of IFE on September 22, 2023.

In addition to the HP partnership, I provided the accessories for the Couture segment of IFE under the direction of the Show Producer and Stylist Basil Waris and Sponsorship of Mercedes-Benz Downtown Toronto.

Where can we find your work?

Some of my collections can be viewed and/or purchased on my website or at Trunk shows around the province. Others are kept and sold at my studio which is open by appointment only. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook.

The post “A Day in the Life” with Toronto Jewellery Designer Rita Tesolin appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

What is your business called and what does it do?

The Blumz is a house of fine jewellery and piercings. Living with hope, purpose, imagination, and vision, we cultivate beauty through high-end jewellery brands and the designers we represent. We embody love and self-expression through ear curations and piercings.

What made you want to do this work?

The Blumz is a beautifully curated space that allows our clients the opportunity to have a unique full-service experience. Guests are invited to have their ears personally styled, with unique ear curations from a variety of high-quality jewellery collections. This styling along with the ear piercing all happen on-site and can be done all in the same visit. Up until now, this type of experience hasn’t existed so we are incredibly excited to fill this gap in the market. Ear piercings are beautiful, and our process is art.

What problem did you want to solve with the business?

The Blumz sets our to create a new experience for consumers by combining two industries – the world of fine jewellery and piercings. We have created a full-service solution in a stunning space with high-quality products and unparalleled customer service.

Who are your clientele/demographics?

We are currently seeing a trend, where young professionals are predominantly getting piercings, yet our clients come from all walks of life. We see musicians, athletes and individuals who have a strong desire to dominate the corporate world and who want to showcase their ears as art. Everyone is welcome, and everyone belongs at The Blumz. Our clients vary in age, gender, race, and ethnicity and we aim to help people feel fashionable and fabulous.

How does your business make money? How does it work?

We represent and sell multiple jewellery lines and provide piercings services, ear curations, permanent bracelets, and engraving. Our business is built on 5 principal pillars:

1. We understand the needs of our clients.

2. We exceed expectations.

3. We treat everyone with integrity and respect.

4. We create an experience like no other.

5. We have fun during the process.

Where in Toronto can we find your profession?

Our flagship store is located at 343 King Street West. King West is recognized as one of the trendiest areas in Toronto and we are near many of the city’s top hotels such as The Hyatt, Nobu, Bisha, Soho, Ritz, St Germain, and many others. We are also accessible via the city’s public transit system

What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? Give the answer as well.

The number one question we get asked is – What kind of jewellery can you use for your piercings and how are the piercings done?

The Blumz offers the largest selection of hypoallergenic and nickel-free jewellery in Ontario. Choose your favourite piece of jewellery which is made from a variety of metals such as surgical steel, titanium, 14k yellow, rose, and white gold. Once you’ve selected your piece, you will have your piercing done by an in-house trained piercer, using a halo needle, which provides a fast, effective and almost painless experience.

What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?

The best part about what we do is getting to see how happy our clients are with the experience and finished result of what we have created. From the moment they book their appointment, to the moment they finally get their piercing, we get to be part of the excitement.

The worst part for us is when we cannot be client facing. Our entire business is about creating an experience and building relationships. We can’t do that when we count inventory!!

What is your favourite joke about your own profession?

Most piercing jokes are probably too risqué to be mentioned in this article, but we have a saying: You pick it, we stick it.

What are your social media channels?

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok

PAY IT FORWARD: What is another Toronto business that you love?

That’s a hard question. There are so many great privately owned businesses in Toronto that we would love to give kudos to such as Pop Health Bar, Delysees, La Paella and Othership to name just a few.

The post Homegrown Business: Anna & Ion Blum of The Blumz appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

What is your business called and what does it do?

My business is called Dainty Diamond. We are a direct-to-consumer brand that sells high-quality gold and silver jewelry for every day.

What made you want to do this work?

After working multiple jobs in the media industry after graduating from school I kept feeling like something was missing. Because my father was always in the jewelry business, I’d occasionally help friends and family get new jewelry pieces through his connections. After helping my friend find a necklace one time, I was inspired and decided to create an Instagram page showcasing all the jewelry pieces I owned and helped get for my friends. From there, it just kind of took off and I realized how passionate about it I was.

What problem did you want to solve with the business?

I’m trying to solve two problems. The first, making high-quality jewelry accessible and affordable. The second, providing high-quality gold jewelry that fits into every aspect of an individual’s life. No matter what they’re doing, what they’re wearing or where they’re going – our jewelry always fits. That’s the beauty of focusing on selling solid gold pieces, our customers don’t have to worry about taking it off throughout the day.

Who are your clientele/demographics?

Our main clientele is women aged 25-34 who live in Canada or the United States.

How does your business make money? How does it work?

We are an e-commerce direct-to-consumer brand. Clients can visit our website www.daintydiamond.co to shop all of our pieces. They can also find us on Instagram and reach out to us that way.

Where in Toronto can we find your profession?

Right now our main source of products is on our website. However, you can also find select items on The Hudson Bay Website, Trend Savvy, as well as The Home Body Studio storefront located in Downtown Oakville.

What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? Give the answer as well.

The best question a prospective customer could ask is if our pieces will tarnish. We carry a variety of solid gold, gold vermeil and sterling silver pieces. Solid gold pieces will never tarnish, oxidize or change colour. When cared for properly gold vermeil and sterling silver pieces also will never tarnish. However, if gold vermeil or sterling silver pieces are worn in water, while sweating or mixed with bodily oils and perfumes, they can fade and/or change colour.

In general, it’s extremely important to care for your jewelry properly and store it in a safe dry place for optimal use.

What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?

The best part of what I do is when I get to meet our customers in person and see them wearing our products and them telling me how good it makes them feel.

The worst part is also the best part, and that’s on wearing many different hats. While I get the opportunity to be the shipper and receiver, marketing manager, operations manager and founder, it can be stressful at times trying to balance and do everything.

What is your favourite joke about your own profession?

People hate me and love me at the same time because you can never have too much jewelry and we keep releasing pieces that are super cute and people always want to buy more.

Where can we follow you?

Instagram, Pinterest & Our Website

PAY IT FORWARD: What is another Toronto business that you love?

Nu Beauty

The post Homegrown Business: Jessica Fried of Dainty Diamond appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

What is your business called and what does it do?

My arts-based business is called Wild Moon Jewelry, and I create handmade adornment at my studio in Scarborough. I design unique pieces with a mixture of semi-precious stones, recycled silver, brass, and glass beads, as well as other found objects. I create wearable art that is meant to inspire confidence, self-love, and acknowledgement of our connection to mother earth.

What made you want to do this work?

I started making jewelry as a hobby in 2010, and with the support of friends and family I decided to build it into a business. I have always been a creative person who is good with my hands. I love to see when someone tries on and purchases a piece from me – their face lights up, and they feel empowered to have a truly unique looking jewelry piece made by someone they feel connected with. Many of my pieces incorporate recycled materials. This is because during my world travels over the past few years, I became acutely aware of the importance of using art to promote and uphold environmental integrity. Now, I am dedicated to using Wild Moon Jewelry as a platform to challenge the norms around cookie-cutter trendy fast fashion, in order to raise an awareness for shopping locally and sustainably.

What problem does this solve?

Having been witness to environmental justice challenges linked to our consumption culture around the world, I was inspired to shift Wild Moon Jewelry’s focus towards a more sustainable materials sourcing practice. Fast fashion is one of the biggest polluting industries on earth. I decided if I was going to continue to make jewelry products to be consumed, it would have to be done in a way that encourages resourceful creativity with use of good quality recycled objects to be diverted away from landfills or beaches. I envision a world where our sustainably-made wearable art shifts the conversation about what can be considered “luxury”, and provide ideological challenges to typical beauty standards.

Who are your clientele/demographics?

Typically, my clientele is mostly diverse women and non-gender/sexuality conforming individuals aged 20-50 years old, but I do have many men as customers too. I offer necklaces, earrings, and bracelets intended to be worn by anyone – people just need to be able to see themselves in the jewelry to fall in love with it!

How does your business make money? How does it work?

Wild Moon Jewelry is currently being run mainly as an online store, but I also do pop-up shops, festivals, and jewelry making workshops through community organizations around the world. For example, right now I am working with a women’s jewelry collective in Ghana called the Obrapa Women’s Group who are dedicated to educating their communities about HIV/Aids prevention through community art projects. With them, I’ve co-designed a capsule collection of handmade beaded necklaces and bracelets, with all profit going towards supporting their livelihoods. It is important to me that Wild Moon Jewelry address social causes, and not just be a “fashion” company. All current collections are available at www.wildmoonjewelry.com, and each handmade pieces can be shipped within 2-3 business days of the order.

Where in Toronto can we find your business?

Right now we are popping up at the Pretty Elevated by Irisa Studio at Stackt Market, a first-of-its-kind community collective and pop-up with curated retail, workshops and a co-working space created to amplify and empower local women-led businesses. Aside from that, find us online at www.wildmoonjewelry.com!

What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your business when comparing services?

I believe customers should be asking questions to be mindful of the environmental impact of the items they are buying. Wild Moon Jewelry strives to remain affordable while maintaining a unique aesthetic that respects the environment. I hope to be part of a shift that encourages prospective customers to be curious about the sustainability of materials used in their jewelry and other fashion purchases.

What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?

The best part of what I do is being able to make a living from my art and being affirmed that I am an inspiration to others. I would not say there is a “worst part” except that I would like to branch out to creating other art forms, and I have to create the time and space away from my business to be able to do that. But I am finding my way!

What is your favourite joke about your own profession?

My friends and family will often joke around and call me “Tame Sun”.

PAY IT FORWARD: What is another Toronto business that you love?

I really love the work going on at Broke&Living – they create really unique clothing and are amazing creative stylists and visionaries! They’ll also be popping up at Pretty Elevated by Irisa at Stackt Market from September 12-22. To check out more of the retailers who will be popping up in the space and full programming details, visit prettyelevated.ca!

The post Homegrown Business: Asia Clarke of Wild Moon Jewelry appeared first on Toronto Guardian.