A nice piece of designer jewellery has the power to ignite emotions of happiness and confidence, and can instantly transform your look! As women, we wear jewellery to celebrate our personality, passions, goals, and successes.

Back in time – do you remember your first piece of jewellery?

I still recall the first piece of jewellery I bought for myself at 14 years old. It was a gorgeous yellow gold bracelet, which I rarely wear now. At a young age, I started to value academic successes and celebrated by rewarding myself with a special gift to acknowledge my own hard work. I would conserve my monthly allowance, so I can splurge at the end of the school year. Buying jewellery became an annual ritual of self-rewarding and self-appreciation, particularly around my birthday or the Holiday season.

Times have changed – To wear or not to wear

As years passed, I stopped wearing jewellery pieces for several reasons. Firstly, some of the original pieces look outdated. Secondly, my lifestyle changed, and some styles are not as practical and relevant to my current circumstances. It was time to consider a creative approach for all these nicknacks and outdated jewellery designs. I needed to consolidate what I had and reinvent some pieces so I can wear them and pass them on as practical heirlooms to my child.

Finding Pamela Lauz Jewellery

Last November, I was strolling along the aisles at the One Of a Kind Show in Toronto looking for jewellery that would appeal to my current style – modern, original, and creative. My eyes were instantly drawn to Pamela Lauz’s booth with a display of contemporary pieces that tickled my fancy. Along came Pamela, with her great smile, welcoming presence, and chic style. 

Pamela is a female entrepreneur, a Canadian designer, with a keen eye for design and a real understanding of a modern, feminine mindset. She is a corporate professional who worked in the high tech industry for a decade before launching her jewellery brand. Her story resonates with women who took a leap of faith and followed their passions, whether it is to become a corporate expert, a professional, or an entrepreneur. Pamela delights in connecting with her clients to and redesign jewellery pieces custom create jewellery that embodies their personality, style and accomplishments.        

Then Came The Pandemic

I kept Pamela’s contact information with the thought that I can eventually work with her on restyling a diamond ring in need of a make-over. At that time (early 2020), I was centered on planning a once in a lifetime trip to Tanzania, which involved climbing the famous Mount Kilimanjaro in July. But then in March, the world went into a lockdown due to COVID19, and sadly, like everyone else, vacation plans came to a standstill the entire year.

Like everyone, we were stuck at home and no place to travel in 2020. Consequently, I figured why not treat myself to a distinct experience that made me feel happy and hopeful during this unprecedented time.

It was then that I pulled out the jewellery boxes filled with little pieces of yellow or white gold, some plain, others engraved with different gems. As I observed the pieces, I realized they lost their appeal. It was the perfect time to rethink personal style and try a new adventure: jewellery restyling! Without any hesitation, I emailed Pamela to book a free consultation session.

Gold Sale Benefit

A week later, we sat down at her design studio in Leslieville, Toronto, to discuss the process. The first step was to assess the amount and value of gold in my current jewellery pieces. Pamela’s highly acclaimed Gold Sale Benefit allows you to sell your gold and platinum and apply 100% of the proceeds towards a custom redesigned jewellery project. 

Since Pamela does not keep a cut of the gold sale proceeds, she often gives her clients 2-3 times more in credit than what other retailers offer. 

The Jewellery redesign process

After making an arrangement to sell the old jewellery, we began discussing the fun part, restyling 2 diamond rings into a versatile stacking set of 3 rings. This is the most crucial stage of custom jewellery redesign because you are working with Pamela to create a piece you will love and wear. Here are some tips to help figure out your personal style ideas:

• Collect some design ideas from Pinterest and create a board with the collection or screenshot images from Instagram of your favourite looks by celebrities or other designers.
• Narrow down your search by design style, modern, vintage, minimalist, etc.
• Be open to the jeweller’s suggestions and recommendations. They know best which design works with different materials (gold and stones).

The design process      

In this step of the jewellery restyling and redesigning, you want the piece to reflect your personality and fit your lifestyle. In fact, it feels empowering to sit with a designer and invent your own piece of jewellery. Pamela was quickly able to transcend my vision to a couple of sketches, which she then finalized in great detail. I was excited and delighted with the hand-drawn illustrations of my new rings.

Once I approved the detailed sketches, Pamela proceeded to create the rings’ computer model. The next time we connected was to review and approve by ring’s CAD renderings (Computer-Aided Design). These renderings provided me with a photo-realistic view of rings and my excitement increased. I felt I could almost wear them. Once I approved the CAD renderings, Pamela took a few weeks to hand-craft my rings.
While my rings were designed by computer, Pamela selects the method that best suits each individual design. Many of her creations are carved in wax or forged in metal. I thoroughly enjoyed how Pamela involved me in every step of the creative process.

The reveal

The build-up to the final reveal was as exhilarating as was the creative process. Redesigning a piece of your own jewellery is a different experience than buying something at a store. Plus, knowing that you are working with a local Canadian designer at her own studio gave me extra comfort and confidence. I should say opening the box and seeing the redesigned rings was as exciting as opening my engagement ring box! I love how I can wear my new stacking rings in so many ways. They look great together as well as on their own. Plus, the two stacking diamond eternity bands can jazz up many of the rings in my collection.

The Ready To Wear Collection

While I was at her studio, I could not resist trying on some of Pamela’s ready-to-wear designs. In addition to custom design, Pamela hand-crafts a vast array of unique sculptural designs in silver and gold. I will certainly be back to pick up holiday gifts for the 3 women I adore: my mom, my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law.

After learning about my blog, Pamela offered me a 20% discount off her online store to share with my readers. Plus shipping is free in Canada. If you have a U.S.A address, shipping costs $5-$10 flat rate. Visit pamelalauz.com and enter promo code ELLEMUSE20.
Happy shopping!