One of my absolute favourite jewelery designers in Vancouver is having a big holiday sale to celebrate the season. Designer Heather Mandin incorporates antique pieces into her creations, which means no two designs are ever quite the same. The story behind her line is an interesting one – shortly after the decided to get into the jewelery biz, her grandmother’s friend passed away and left behind a trove of jewelery pieces that had been collected by her husband over the years in his travels. Heather’s grandmother successfully arranged to have everything shipped to Heather, and a whopping 22 large boxes eventually arrived.

Anyone who knows me knows that nothing gets me riled up like a visit to an antique or thrift store. Old treasures never cease to pique my interest – the smell of an old book, long lost jewelery that someone once cherished, decades-old luggage, letters from when people actually kept pen pals, the list goes on. Parts by Heather jewelery evokes that same kind of curious nostalgia, and hearing her talk about sorting through those boxes filled with stones, bones, chains, carvings, and pendants, reminds me of the thrill of investigating stored treasures in an attic, and the inspiration that comes with such discovery.

OK, I’ve completely overexcited myself and headed to Heather’s studio immediately for a sneak peek at the big shopping party sale on the 19th and 20th.  See you there!