FAQs

who we are

Anice Jewellery is a one-of-a-kind custom jewellery experience. Whether you want to breathe new life into your favourite old treasures, design the perfect engagement ring, custom-make a meaningful last minute gift, or learn a new skill and make your own piece, Anice welcomes you into a warm and creative community where we strive to empower you through the magic of jewellery and make all your jewel dreams come true.

Brittany Hopkins is the founder, owner and jewel dreamer behind Anice Jewellery. She lives to create beautiful pieces for the world and can't wait to meet you! Learn more about her HERE.

No it is not the spice! Haha. (That would be spelled "anise"...although both are pronounced the same way if that helps!)
Anice Kulak is Britt's grandmother. She personifies the power of jewellery and was the inspiration for the whole company. You can learn more about her HERE.

custom jewellery

Custom jewellery with us involves anything from simple beaded or wire-wrapped jewellery to elevated fine jewellery using professional metalsmithing techniques. Ultimately our goal is to make all your jewellery dreams come true and we would love to talk about to you about your vision!

We pride ourselves on being able to work within nearly any budget. Custom on-the-spot designs can range from $30 to $100 on average. Custom fine jewellery or anything that requires metalsmithing can range from $200 to $2000 or more. There’s something for everyone with us.

The core of who we are. We LOVE reworking your old jewellery and pre-loved materials to give them a new life! Anything from old gold to be melted into something else, to tacky beads you want to take apart, to a solo earring you lost the match to, to a random stone you found on an adventure, we can revive all these and more into something you'll cherish and wear for years to come. For more information click HERE!

Our Custom On-the-Spot service is truly unique to us. We can work with you either virtually or in-person to design and create a unique one-of-a-kind piece. Choosing from a wide selection of raw materials we stock in store (chains, charms, gemstones etc.) we use our signature jewel squad techniques like wire-wrapping, beading and hand stamping to make it happen. This is an amazing way to treat yourself or create a meaningful last-minute gift for someone special, all in the same day!

We SURE DO. We LOVE love. For more information check out our Custom Bridal jewellery page HERE!

Depending on the nature of your project, you may be looking for quick custom or you may need a consult for fine jewellery. Best plan of action is to shoot us an email, give us a call or reach out to us through our nifty Video Ask feature to touch base about what you're dreaming up, and we can guide you from there!

custom consultations

This is a casual meeting to get to know you and your jewel dreams. We will cover all the specifics and design details that we can and then provide a quote following that. We do not necessarily provide a quote during the initial first consult. Once the quote is approved we will move onto the design, rendering and making stage!

We always do our best to give you an estimate as close to the real cost as possible. That being said, factors like metal weight, metal width and thickness, use of old metal or stones incorporated into the new design, client decision changes, or other factors could mean cost increase or decrease.

A rendering is a process in which we create a series of digital images through CAD (Computer Aided Design) to illustrate what the final piece will look like. It’s an exciting way to confirm the design and make any final adjustments before moving into production!

Good things take time! After an initial fine jewellery consult, we require 7 to 10 days to confirm pricing for custom fine jewellery. Once pricing is approved by the client, the turnaround time is usually around 2 to 3 weeks. If any fit adjustments need to be made, this can also require up to 7 days. On average, our custom fine jewellery takes about 4 to 5 weeks to complete in total. Rush orders are possible, but are subject to an additional charge that will be determined when the order is placed. We reserve the right to deny rush orders, depending on project complexity and time availability.

If you have old gold from bygone pieces, we can often incorporate this into a new design. This is a great way to upcycle materials, cut down on costs and is also totally in line with our Old Treasures New Love mantra. Bring or send your old gold along for your initial consult and we can assess its value and apply that credit to your final new piece.

We love a new beginning! Don’t let that precious gold go to waste just because the piece itself did. Bring it in or send it in. We will assess its value and can incorporate it or offer you credit to a new piece.

Due to jewel legalities (and also, because we’re not swashbucklers, as fun as that would be...) we do not buy gold for cash. That being said, we are happy to assess the value of your old gold and offer you credit to put towards a new piece or use your old material in your new piece.

It's usually not as worthwhile to melt silver versus gold. The value of silver is generally so much lower and the process might actually cost more for you in the long run! We can melt and credit your silver, but keep in mind it will likely be for considerably less than what you originally paid.

engraving

Engraving is done using a laser machine and produces a more classic style. This process is ideal if you’re looking for a very precise and elegant inscription or image. Our engravers work off-site, so generally we require a minimum one-week turnaround from design conception to completion.
Hand stamping is done in-house using a selection of individual letter and character stamps and a mallet to hammer these into metal. Because hand stamping is done character by character, the final result is more free form and playful (which we love btw!) This is ideal if you’re looking for quick personalization as we can often do this on-the-spot or in the same day.

Our engravers offer a wide range of fonts and we can share these with you and help to nail down your choice. That being said, if you are looking for something specific that is not available from our usual selection, let us know and we will see what we can do!

We generally send out engravings every Tuesday and pick them up every Thursday. Depending on design complexity we sometimes require extra time to make sure your engraving is perfect. To be safe, you can expect a standard engraving to require approximately one week of turnaround. Keep in mind this is also not factoring in any additional time needed to make and complete your piece.

Generally our pricing goes as follows (not including tax):

English text
$10 minimum for up to 6 letters, each character after that is $1.00

Different languages
$20 minimum for up to 10 letters, each letter after that is $2.

Custom images, photos and crests

Range from $70 to $200.

We have engraved custom images many times and it’s so special! The cost is approximately $70 for the first piece and $30 for any repeats of the same image on additional pieces. We can also offer “deep image engraving” which is a dark and bolder look for $140 and up.

shipping & delivery

We offer Canada Post, UPS, FedEx, DHL and same-day courier. Depending on your region, we will work with you to come up with the best and most affordable shipping or delivery option.

We are happy to offer free shipping on all orders over $100!

Orders placed online are typically fulfilled within 4-5 business days. That being said, many of our items are handmade to order and may require a longer production time. Please contact us if you are on a tight timeline and we will do our best! Please note estimated shipping times are not guaranteed. If you are within the GTA, we recommend in-store pickup for a fool-proof plan!
Again, if you are on a timeline please CALL US and we will see what we can do!

Turnaround times really depend on the making or availability of each product, as well as your location. Just remember that we are not Amazon - we are an independant small business of creative makers and good things take time! We are happy to work with you to help map out and manage your timeline. Just give us a call!

returns & exchanges

We offer store credit or exchange within 14 days of purchase on select items in-store and online. Made to order, stamped, engraved or customized items are all final sale. We can alter or improve the existing piece at an additional cost, to be determined upon return.

Custom projects are final sale, due to the nature of our business, many of our pieces are one of a kind. Once a design is finalized, an estimate for the project is given, please note the estimate can fluctuate within 20% for anything that may have been unforeseen. Once finalized a deposit is given, the customer is responsible for the payment of the piece.

The customer is financially responsible for any changes made to the project once it is complete. We commit to providing the customer with the most information and best advice on custom projects. If our recommendations are disregarded, the customer is financially responsible for any needed repairs or alterations.

Depending on the design and collection of the ring, we can either exchange the ring for the appropriate size or we can re-size for an additional cost.

If the alteration is a quick and simple wire-wrap adjustment (i.e. shortening a chain or pair of earrings etc.) we can offer that at no additional charge. Lengthening or swapping out of a material may require an additional charge.

Depending on the reason for the break and assessment of the piece by us, we may exchange the chain or repair it. We MUST see the piece in person before we can make this call though. We also kindly ask that our clients appreciate that this is delicate jewellery and needs to be worn and handled with love and care.

We want to hear your feedback and figure out a solution with you! We pride ourselves on making sure every piece is loved and adored by the wearer.

shopping & materials

As part of our Old Treasures, New Love philosophy, we use as many pre-loved, recycled materials as possible. For gemstones, from quartz to diamonds, we work with suppliers we trust to bring stones from where they are actually found in the earth. Our casting house also works exclusively with recycled gold and silver.

As it is for many jewellers, sourcing of ethical raw materials like chains, charms and findings is pretty tricky. We work with various local suppliers who import from Italy, Turkey, India and China. We do try to source as much of our materials as we can in as ethical a way as possible, and continue to educate ourselves and grow as best we can.

No blood diamonds in this house! All of our diamonds are GIA certified or Canadian Diamonds. We always work with our clients to educate them on diamond qualities and their origins.

Gold filled is 14K gold bonded with brass. It is stronger and higher quality than gold plated which is why we like to use it for a more affordable gold-look option!
Gold plated is a gold coating over top of sterling silver or any number of low cost base metals. We like to avoid this unless we're reworking vintage materials.
Solid gold is marked as 24K, and we work mainly with 10K, 14K and 18K (true gold metal combined with another metal.) These karats are the best and most common for jewellery as they offer beautiful colour, strength and longevity.

We know, in theory it sounds super cool to have something made in 24K but honestly, pure 24K gold is SO soft (and also VERY yellow!) We don't recommend it and prefer to work with 10K, 14K and 18K as they are strong, beautiful and the "gold standard" for most fine jewellery ;)

Rose gold is a blend of pure 24K gold, copper and silver. The copper element is what gives it that gorgeous rosy pink colour and we love that about it! It's a great option to yellow gold and we often offer it in 10K, 14K and 18K for custom fine jewellery.

White gold is a blend of pure 24K gold and a silvery-white alloy metal such as silver or palladium. It offers a higher value and stronger silver-look to your jewellery and is often coated in rhodium to complete the white finish. We offer white gold in 10K, 14K and 18K for custom fine jewellery.

Gold filled can last a fairly long time, but it also really depends on things like your pH balance, products you use, sweating, chlorine, varying water/environmental components etc. All of these play into the gold-look of your gold filled pieces. It won’t turn green like copper but it will naturally antique and darken over time. We recommend not showering or swimming with your gold-filled pieces for ultimate longevity. If you're looking to shower and sweat and swim to your heart's delight, we strongly recommend investing in 10K and up!

Gold filled has a brass component, which is still a base metal, so you may get irritated. However there is no nickel content, which is usually what causes most allergic reactions.

If the metal was a high karat such as 14K or 18K, you might be ok. We also recommend surgical steel. We can get these kinds of findings in replacement of silver for your ears.

Please follow the advice of your piercer for timelines, but usually 6 months to a year is advised. Your body is healing and naturally trying to reject the piercing, so give it time to adjust before making a change!

Vintage rings are what they are and for that we cannot resize them. If it’s meant to be yours, it'll be yours!

In short, no. We are makers. We put such pride and love into in our pieces, and for that we do not barter on prices. That's simply not who we are. If we are making something in bulk for you, we may choose to give you a discount, but that is up to us to decide. Thank you in advance for appreciating the value of our work as much as we do!

jewel from home workshops

Jewel From Home is a fun and creative way to learn how to make your own jewellery remotely and virtually. You will work online via Zoom with one of our creative jewellers to learn intricate wire-wrapping and beading techniques, resulting in special pieces and lasting memories, all from the comfort and safety of home! Learn more about Jewel From Home HERE!

All skill levels from beginner to advanced can participate and benefit from our workshops. Even if you have never jewelled before, our team will be with you every step of the way! If you have jewelled before, consider it an advantage and an opportunity to build on your magic-making skills.

Our public workshops are usually based on a particular design (i.e. dangle earrings, pendant necklace, etc.) with some customizable options you can select when registering (i.e. silver or gold, gemstones, charms etc.)

Our private workshops allow you to consult with us in advance to decide what you want to make. Our jewel squad will work within your budget and tastes to come up with the perfect design template for you (and again, these can come with customizable options like metal type, gemstones etc.)

Join us for one of our Jewel Parties if you’re looking for complete creative freedom! We hold these often and it’s a great way for the Anice community to come together and jewel away for an afternoon. We can arrange any number of materials for a personalized kit for you, and also offer materials subscriptions if you want a regular stock of supplies! Learn more about our JFH Subscription Boxes HERE!

We build specific workshop kits for every session we host, both public or private. We can ship your kit directly to you, or you can arrange safe porchside pick-up. We always arrange for workshop kits to be shipped in good time before the scheduled session. You can also expect a phone call from us in advance of the session to confirm you have everything you need!

If you need tools, you can select “Yes I need tools!” when registering for a public workshop, or let us know during a call when arranging a private workshop. You can either buy the tools and keep them forever, OR you can rent them.

If you choose to rent, you will be charged full price for the tools initially, and then receive 50% back when the tools are returned. You can either return through safe porch-side drop-off or use a return label that we can arrange for you. You never know, you might love jewelling so much and want to keep ‘em forever!

Our public workshops are 2 hours long. For private workshops, if you would like to extend the time, we can discuss pricing options during your booking consultation.

You can register for public workshops and select certain specifications to customize your kit. For private workshops, you will have a call with our team ahead of time to nail down your design template (i.e. do you want to make dangle earrings? A pendant necklace? What metals, stones and charms do you like?)

You can either pick up your workshop kit, or we will ship all the necessary materials and tools to you! We always arrange to have materials arrive well in time before a scheduled workshop so that you’re fully set up for success.

We are so glad you asked - we love hosting private workshops! Click this link to learn more and get in touch with us to tell us about your workshop dreams.

We will always do our best to work within any budget! In addition to the standard session fee, generally materials can range between $30 to $80 dollars per kit, depending on the design. A set of three essential tools are $35 to rent or $70 to own. We can go over all this and more during your initial booking consult!

You can absolutely feel free to bring in your own materials! You can also rework some old pieces at our Old Treasures, New Love workshops.

We are always happy to help make these private events extra special, if you have any other requests please give us a call and we will be happy to discuss further.