There’s something special about selecting wearable art that speaks to your own sense of style. The symbols and materials you wear make your own personal philosophical or cultural statement. Handcrafted jewellery in Calgary comes in myriad forms – from Wilma Flintstone rustic to Greta Garbo elegant, and every feathered, flowered or Swarovski-studded shade in between. Here’s where to find handcrafted wares in YYC.
Dubbing itself a "modern general store," Steeling Home is an upscale boutique loaded with funky treasures and unusual items. The handcrafted jewellery selection is full of real gems. It boasts an array of artistic styles, from dazzling bejewelled earrings to rings set with ancient-looking coins and one-of-a-kind turquoise-studded cuffs, plus cufflinks and barrettes.
A longtime fixture at Eau Claire Market, Wanderlust owner Cheryl Kelly has opened a second shop in Marda Loop. From the outset, the store’s international flavour set it apart from other fashion boutiques, with its imported woven accessories, handmade jewellery and nouveau gypsy-boho feel. Find hand-carved beaded Buddha necklaces, chunky sterling pieces inset with gems such as lemon topaz, and bangles and pendants from around the world.
A Calgary jewellery and home decor boutique institution, Rubaiyat is chock full of handmade arts and crafts as well as sharply stylish furnishings and urban accessories. Its inventory features ever-shifting offerings from more than 800 artists and designers. From the upscale to the unique, find stacked diamond rings, sterling nugget bracelets, hand-beaded hoops, charm necklaces, vintage lockets and more.
Beautiful imports from around the world adorn Ten Thousand Villages’ three city shops. Jewellery items for every budget include glass-bead chokers strung on ribbons from Guatemala, mother-of-pearl earrings from Bali and Vietnamese horn bangles. And you can feel extra-good about your purchase – Ten Thousand Villages carries fair-trade items made by craftspeople from around the developing world.
A veritable buffet of baubles can be found at the Galleria Inglewood, an artsy-craftsy boutique showcasing the work of more than 350 Canadian artists in its abundant space. You’ll find art glass jewellery, themed trinkets featuring fanciful dragonflies, sea life and trees, and sterling silver set with Alberta’s own semi-precious ammolite and prehistoric mastodon tusk throughout the maze of the Galleria’s rooms.
Canadian artists are spotlighted in the museum’s vast collection of handcrafted jewellery. Among local artists on offer, Kari Woo’s chic sterling bracelets and necklaces can be found here, along with adornments produced by First Nations artists, such as Haida and Coast Salish rings, cuffs and pendants. Jewellery made by African and Asian artisans add to the shop’s international flavour.
It doesn’t get much more handmade than making it yourself, does it? Suzi Q Beads has been a Calgary jewellery staple for more than a decade, offering beads from around the world, jewellery-making supplies and more. It’s like a crafty candy shop in there, brimming with sparkle, colour and bling. The shop also carries numerous ready-to-wear handcrafted jewellery pieces.
The Bamboo Ballroom in Inglewood is a unique vintage furniture, clothing and jewellery shop. Find sophisticated handcrafted art jewellery such as amazingly intricate “living jewelry” pieces by Edmonton-based Axis Mundi Artistry featuring forest mosses, lichens, herbs and flowers in spherical glass terrariums and miniature cages. Smithstine Copper pieces sport hand-sawn and hand polished prairie-inspired imagery such as grain elevators, cityscapes, landscapes, bears and bison on cufflinks, necklaces, tie bars and earrings.