The Entwined Collection is about family and connections. There is evidence that social connections contribute to a longer life. I couldn’t agree more. Connections with family, friends or a pet makes the day worth looking forward to. The Entwined Collection represents how we are intertwined with the ones that we love. People that we look forward to spending time with. Erin and I share that bond. From being not only a mom and daughter but a connection through this jewelry venture that we are on together.
The Entwined Collection is composed of delicate entwined links in sterling silver and 14K gold fill hand forged into irregular shapes. The freeform shapes emotes movement and interest when worn. Each piece is individually metal worked in Sandra & Erin’s home studio in Edmonton. Each piece created one by one; each piece different from the next. Just like life; our connections are ever changing and always in motion.
Find the Entwined Collection online.
xo Sandra & Erin
]]>The OA x GG Jewelry Collection includes fine silver beaded bracelets adorned with handcrafted fine silver charms that have been hand stamped the word "knit". Choose between a sterling silver or 14K gold filled "yarn" pendant. Matching earrings & necklaces complete each of the jewelry sets.
Jodi & Tracie launched their "Grocery Girls" youtube podcast in 2016 and flourished. They are not only expert knitters but they are known for their generosity for sharing information on all things knitting related. Their joy of knitting is infectious; it got me back into knitting after a decade's long absence. Their unconditional love and support for all is genuine and we are lucky enough to be a part of that support.
So thank you Jodi & Tracie for including us in your Grocery Girls adventures! You can find them at: www.grocerygirlsknit.com.
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The ERSA Collection is a collaboration between Erin & Sandra. It would only seem fitting that our collection would take on both of our names: ER (for Erin) and SA (for Sandra).
This collection reflects experimentation with how different metals can be formed into modern jewelry pieces. We worked with sheet metal to create the contemporary cylindrical forms, twisted wire for the delicate twist jewelry and heavy gauge wire for the bold and irregular oval forms. And as always theses pieces can be layered for a beautiful and modern layering of jewelry.
We continue to incorporate the use of 14K gold filled metals in these pieces. We love the contrast of the gold to sterling and fine silver. And we love the benefits of gold filled jewelry: tarnish free, doesn’t fade, lasts for many years and the affordable option to solid gold. Read about the benefits of Gold Filled Jewelry HERE.
Enjoy our jewelry experimentation with the ERSA Collection!
]]>Lani is the Hawaiian word for "sky" or also "the heavens". My collection is inspired by Hawaii, a piece of heaven on earth. Hawaii has always been a very special place to me since I was young, I always loved visiting my family there and exploring Oahu. Recently I traveled 3 of the islands and fell even more in love.
My mom, Sandra started this jewelry company over 17 years ago. On one of our family trips to Maui, Hawaii she was inspired by a town called Paia. On my recent trip I visited Paia without even realizing the inspiration it had on my mom. I too felt the magic of that town.
Thank you to everyone who supported me and inspired me to put out my first collection.
Discover the LANI COLLECTION.
Erin
]]>The Ellipse Collection is a set of jewelry that has an industrial edge to it. Sterling silver layered with gold filled freeform shapes & hammered textures. I have metal worked pieces with acute edges balanced with softer freeform circles.
I began my jewelry company 17 years ago after visiting the beautiful town of Paia in Maui. I was inspired by the jewelry I purchased in a little boutique. Years later it has come full circle with my daughter, Erin, joining the business full time and finding similar inspiraton. I am now mentoring Erin about jewelry making and running a business. I would have never thought that it would arrive at this, but it seems right. Welcome Erin to Orange Avocado Jewelry.
This journey has taken me full circle and I am excited for the future with Erin.
Discover the ELLIPSE COLLECTION.
xo sandra
14K Solid gold is the choice of many jewellers for its perfect balance of durability, affordability and appearance. It will not tarnish or discolour over time. It is an everlasting precious metal that can be worn at all times without effects on its quality. This metal can be worn while exercising, swimming or taking a shower. It will maintain its gold lustre for a lifetime.
My fall and winter 2022 Pendulum Collection is inspired by this metaphysical law. It is the balance between rest and motion that I strive for; especially in these last few years. I want to embrace those moments of rest; truly enjoy the freedom of rest and the peace that it brings. I also love to learn new things, ride my bike, and keep active. This is my “motion”. What is your rest and what is your motion? At each stage of my life the balance between the two has changed. It takes effort to try to balance the two out. Sometimes this is within our control and sometimes it is beyond our control.
Discover the Pendulum Collection online.
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Color, abstract forms, nature. The Petal Collection SS22 is composed of ultra-modern petal shapes in bronze and fine silver. Color blocking the golden bronze tones and the silver offers a quiet boldness. And as we long for spring and then summer to arrive this collection sparkles with the yellow hues of citrine, soft spring pastels of aquamarine and rose quartz and creamy white moonstone. Petals are hand sculpted as bold single petals or metal worked into delicate and pretty clusters. It’s a collection about growth, hope and appreciating the little things in nature.
Discover the Petal Collection.
]]>Christmas has come and gone and the rush of the orders and deadlines have subsided. January is always a different mix of busy. So many to do things on my list get crossed off; because I have honestly procrastinated the inevitable. I turn up the music and start on the list. First a foremost is cleaning my studio. I'm glad to say that I am 1/2 way there and it's only the first week of January!
Then there are the supplies which I take inventory of. Do I have enough silver and bronze for the upcoming season? Add now a touch of solid gold...that's exciting for me! You will see the expansion of my new 14 kt solid gold collection. Each piece made to order one gorgeous piece at a time. That's what we call slow fashion.
I am also working on my new Spring and Summer Collection. Let's just say that it's sweet, bright and pretty! I am always looking for ways to set my jewelry apart from the masses. One way is creating each piece one by one; there is no mass production involved.
Another is the launch of my new packaging. I'm so excited to share it with you. Your jewelry will be packaged in a beautiful black slide out jewelry box and a micro fibre jewelry pouch with the Orange Avocado Jewelry logo and a ziploc baggie to reduce tarnishing. In efforts to reduce our impact on the environment you do have the option of choosing your preference for the number of boxes and jewelry pouches.
I'm moving into my 20th year of creating jewelry for you. And each year I feel like I'm just getting started. Scrolling through Instagram my friend posted this saying: "You will never always be motivated; so you must learn to be disciplined." After 20 years, I truly believe that this is why I'm still here.
xo sandra
]]>]]>The HERA Collection is a mixed metal collection of gracefully wrapped columns of 14 kt gold fill and sterling silver. Intricate spirals of gold and silver built upon silver forms or suspended alone. Jewelry pieces delicate on its own or spontaneous wrappings of gold around silver or the finishing touch on a baroque creamy pearl. All of it subtle and quiet pieces of modern jewelry.
Hera is the goddess of woman in Greek mythology. She is also the goddess of marriage, family and childbirth. She is the protector of all women. We all have someone in our lives that serves this role at each stage of our lives. Sometimes she remains the same person, sometimes she changes but she is always present. My protector has been my mom through every stage of my life, and even when I didn't even know it.
She has been the constant in my life. Every time I pull out a recipe for a Chinese delicacy I am reminded that she taught me how to cook and appreciate my ethnic heritage. Every time I sketch a piece of jewelry I am reminded of her beautiful handwriting and hidden artistic skills. And every time I say good night to my family I am reminded of her presence at home that made me feel safe. My mom is my Hera.
I have incorporated elements of 14K gold filled metal into many of my designs. I love the contrast of the gold with my fine silver handcrafted pieces. Although I absolutely love working with solid gold and have created many pieces using solid gold, there are so many benefits of owning gold filled jewelry as opposed to solid gold as a consumer.
Gold filled jewelry is gold that is heat bonded onto a base metal and does not wear off like gold vermeil and gold plated jewelry. It has 100% more gold than gold vermeil and gold plated jewelry. As a result will not tarnish because of its high gold content. Gold filled jewelry fulfills the luxury of gold without the cost. Your gold filled jewelry will last for years.
The following collections have 14 kt gold filled elements as a large component of the jewelry collection.
]]>The Luna Collection is about the moon and the stars.
My dad used to pick me up from piano lessons when I was young. And each night from the car to the house we would gaze up at the light of the moon and stars. Each night my dad and I would look for the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper. As we navigated the dark sky together he always found these two constellations first and I always found them second. This was the constant between us.
This past summer my husband and I travelled to Summer land BC & we slept under the stars...literally. We put mattresses on the dock and watched the falling stars. The black sky was lit up with all of the constellations. This time I found the Big and Little Dipper first, on my own. Decades later that constant & emanating light still shone.
I'll never forget those simple nights with my dad and that short little walk that included gazing at the moon, the stars and the big and the little dippers.
The Luna Collection is about those walks, the discovery of the moon and the stars and family.
This collection is nolonger available.
Photo cred: Kelly G
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Year 1990.
31 years ago she went away for school. He wrote her a poem and tucked it into her winter boots that he sent to her.
Year 1996.
She framed the poem for their 5th wedding anniversary.
Year 2020.
22 years later she had the first verse made into a key chain so that he can have it with him when she was not with him.
Year 2021.
She had a 10 mm extra wide sterling silver ring made with that first verse on it.
Love is enduring.
xo
]]>Thank you for sharing your stories with me this past year. You let me into your lives with your words both happy and sad and all so meaningful. Then we created thoughtful pieces of jewelry together.
I always head into the new year with the intention of expanding my jewelry techniques and sharing it with you; always feeling that I am just barely scratching the surface of what I can learn. Such a big wide world out there and that’s the exciting part of this jewelry adventure. And I am so grateful.❤️
#ahundredtimes #family #sterlingsilver #bespokejewelry #littlefish #bigworld
]]>26 Letters. Infinite Possibilties.
I created a custom fine silver pendant for a mom of a nonspeaking son who used a letter board to communicate. Antigone reached out to me to create this "spelling to communicate" board (S2C) pendant necklace. The pendant measured 16mm x 12mm.
This necklace symbolized what has been a lifeline for Antigone's son and the family. It is his key to communication! The letter board was designed based on the letter boards from "Growing Kids Therapy". These boards have a hand slot on the side & are smaller for ease of portability. These spelling to communicate boards "enhances communication to lead to "autonomy, independence & inclusion" (taken from: www.Growingkidstherapy.com).
I was truly honoured and excited to make this necklace for this mom.
Thank you Antigone.
It's all about #inclusion #nonspeaking #communication
]]>Curve Collection is one of fluid lines in signature Orange Avocado Jewelry bronze & fine silver links. It is a minimalistic collection that speaks volumes. Graceful forms are linked in unison to compose simple yet intriguing shapes that follow the curves of your body. This collection has been created when parts of the world seem to be in chaos and uncertainty. The semi-precious stones in this collection are in gorgeous jewel tones. Faceted apatite in deep blues & greens, deep red garnet stones and smokey quartz add luxury to this collection. The Curve Collection represents what we need right now: Classic pieces representing stability and something to ground ourselves with. Sandra has designed each piece with balance and proportion in mind. It is a collection emanating a quiet strength with seamless transitions from earrings, necklaces to bracelets. The Curve Collection: Where simple is outstanding.
Explore The Curve Collection.
]]>On a recent visit to Kailua, Hawaii we visited the "China Walls": A vast lava rock formation called “pahoehoe” or “smooth lava” in the heart of Oahu, near the base of Koko Head. The petrified lava is not the traditional black tone but a lighter shade of greys, blues and greens as a greenish blue semiprecious stone has been embedded in the rock. This rock contrasts with the brilliant blue sky & ocean & white splashes of waves. The immense cliff and the rogue waves crashing into and sometimes on top of the cliff was breath taking. Everyone jumped off the cliff at their own risk only to be challenged by climbing out of the water impeded by the waves and current.
And this was the inspiration for my new Lava Form Collection. I wanted to emulate the irregular and ever changing landscape of the rock and the circular holes that formed pockets of water.
An unpredictable formation of lines and layers of rock: like an unmade bed. I wanted to my bronze and silver pendants to remind me of the surface of the lava rock smoothed over by the continual washing of the waves. In this collection I have used larimar, aquamarine and amazonite semi precious stones to represent the sky & water. Moonstone semi precious stones represent the white tops of the waves.
The Lava Form Collection is a composition of random and uncomplicated beauty. It will always bring me back to that adventurous day with my family to a place that felt like the edge of the world.
Visit the: Lava Form Collection.
]]>Thank you to my customers, the The Derrick Golf & Winter Club employees and my beautiful friends and family for making my Christmas show such a positive experience! This group of friends and family dropped everything to spend the day and night helping me; I am beyond grateful. ♥️ My customers continue to come out to support my small business and motivate me to continue to do what I love to do: Make jewelry. Over 200 people attended my show, amazing! My little idea became a big idea because people believed in me and I believed in myself. Dream big, work hard, stay true. 😊Thank you!!
]]>Find the Contour Collection here.
]]>I was interviewed by Sorrentino's Compassion House about my association with the organization and the jewelry that I have created for their gala for the past 7 years.
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My most vivid memories of learning about Greek mythology and the Greek empire was in high school. It was in my drama classes, with our teacher Ken Agrell-Smith, that I began to appreciate this ancient history. Agrell taught us to delve beyond the surface of a play by learning about the history around the writing of the play. He taught us about the grandeur and fall of the Greek empire and its mythological history.
This collection is a homage to that history, the Greek Goddess Athena and to my teacher Agrell-Smith. Athena was the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law, justice, strategic warfare, math, strength and skill. She could have been an Olympic athlete, a lawyer, but just as likely a teacher, a friend, a mother, a daughter, a sister or a grandmother. She can be you or I.
This is a collection of detail and of beauty within. In this collection are symbols representing the Goddess Athena. The olive leaf is from the olive tree; a gift that Athena offered to the King of Athens, Cecrops. The labyrinth pendant represents the labyrinth made by King Minos to imprison the Minotaur monster. The turquoise stone represents energy, wisdom, serenity, friendship, love & loyalty. Labradorite is a protective stone promoting healing and balance. These stones are scattered quietly within this collection.
This past year the teacher that had the greatest influence in my life passed away. I have such fond memories of Agrell's passion for the arts, history, and his genuine love and support for each one of his students. Thank you Agrell.
Find the Athena Collection here.
]]>Jen requested a bronze turtle charm on a stretch bracelet. The process is involved including carving & etching the bronze clay to get every detail correct. Each pendant I make is handcrafted & takes often 7 hours to make from the initial hand sculpting of the piece, drying, etching, firing in my kiln, burnishing and tumbling. Then I incorporate the charm in a piece of jewelry. Here I have it within a matte amazonite beaded stretch bracelet. Slow and steady wins the race!
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