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Jeanne Beker speaks to Toronto-based jewellery designer Myles Mindham, celebrates a silver anniversary with avery special spangle

The well-heeled clientele of jeweller Myles Mindham have the luxury of shopping the world, but when it comes to dreaming up special pieces to last a lifetime, these connoisseurs come back home to collaborate with him. With no formal design training, Mindham, 57, has catered to celebrities and socialites alike. Originally located on the seventh floor of Toronto's Park Hyatt hotel, Mindham's business has blossomed since 1991, and now boasts an impressive Yorkville address. His maison on Hazelton Avenue is an oasis, complete with a large salon upstairs and a bustling studio workshop in the basement. To mark his company's 25th anniversary this year, Mindham has created a 35-piece limited-edition collection entitled Magical Woodlands, designed to charm even the most discerning collector. I visited Mindham at his elegant emporium to talk about the childhood fantasies that fuel his imagination, why his clients feel safe with him, and the role a piece of fine jewellery can play in our lives.

Mindham describes himself as a magpie: ‘Anything that sparkles draws me in.’

Mindham describes himself as a magpie: ‘Anything that sparkles draws me in.’

When did you first fall in love with the art of design and jewellery specifically?

As a child I was highly dyslexic, so for me, visual arts were a huge relief because all I had to do was draw – and I could always draw. I also had an amazing grandmother who was very much involved in the arts. She was a pianist and a painter. She worked for Paisley Shop here in Yorkville, which sold antiques, and she would always teach me about marquetry or fine silver, so there was always an essence of detail in whatever I did. One of my earliest memories was being five years old and one of my grandmother's friends invited her friend to a party at Christmas time; this woman arrived in a 1964 Cadillac stretch limousine, which for a five-year-old boy was the most magical thing. And this woman was wearing a beautiful bib diamond necklace and probably a three-carat diamond solitaire. I watched that necklace glimmer and the ring sparkle and I walked up to her and stared at her and she said, "Oh aren't you sweet little boy!" And I remember saying, "Is that real?" Of course, my parents were horrified.

And now, 25 years after being in the business of fine jewellery design, you're celebrating with a collection that pays homage to your childhood.

I always had such a fascination with light and sparkle. I'm like a magpie, a crow. Anything that sparkles draws me in. So I decided for the anniversary we would focus on fantasy, miniaturization and the refraction of light, and all my motifs are based on a childhood story. I thought I'd indulge myself a bit and reflect on how I got here. And how I got here was using design, imagination, creativity and hard work, because you have to be able to afford to do these things. My own childhood was challenged by my mother's health and before my mother got ill, one of the most amazing, comforting pieces of my life was reading at night time. I just wanted to bring in all the elements of those childhood books of fantasy.

There's a flying bunny in this collection that is astounding to me because there's such a childlike innocence to it, yet we're talking about very serious jewellery here.

The wings are plique-à-jour – they're liquid glass in platinum and diamond.

I find it interesting that as a creative artist, you're able to walk that line between keeping in touch with your inner child while executing something that is so monumental – a serious piece that's worth tens of thousands of dollars. How do you manage to straddle both those sensibilities?

To be honest, it's a bit of a risk. We've created three feature pieces: A strikingly detailed amulet, the bunny, and the star bracelet. And it's a bit of a risk because who's going to wear a $32,000 bunny? But I've met people in my career who are so inspiring and magical to me and I've been able to create these heirlooms for them. My clients can shop anywhere in the world, but they choose to shop here.

Pieces from Myles Mindham’s limited-edition Magical Woodlands collection include the Moon Fairies statement pendant, the Wings statement brooch and the Mushroom Wishes brooch.

Pieces from Myles Mindham’s limited-edition Magical Woodlands collection include the Moon Fairies statement pendant, the Wings statement brooch and the Mushroom Wishes brooch.

Why do you suppose it is that they choose to come back home to Canada to work with you?

It harkens back to relationship. They feel safe with me. They feel comfortable, and they know I'm striving to do beautiful things and that I can do them. We have an amazing workshop here that's really unparalleled in this country. The tradesmen I have are 20- to 40-year veterans in terms of creating these things. We push them all the time. The truth is we have to be a little bit better. The point of [this] relationship is that people love to look at the world and shop locally. At least my clients do, because with jewellery, you have to have someone that's going to back you up. I've heard unfortunate stories where things that came back weren't as good as they should have been. But people have a sense of security; they have a trust in me, and they know that we're making beautiful things.

What role does a piece of fine jewellery play today?

History. Emotion. I'm blessed to be able to create things that people will carry their whole lives. I have clients who I tell, "Please wear it!" And sometimes when they get to a certain age, they say, "When am I going to wear that?" And I say, "Well if you don't wear it, your children or grandchildren won't see you wearing it, and it won't become special." But these pieces become heirlooms. They carry memories. I have a great belief in the energy of crystals. They carry an energy. There are families that left Russia with one stone that kept their family alive, sewn into the hem of their dresses, and then kept tucked into floorboards. There's history there. There's emotion. There are all kinds of powerful energies that are carried in jewellery.

Many people believe in the mysticism of jewellery. Psychics often say there's something metaphysical about these precious pieces. Is that the wavelength you're on?

I'm totally on that wavelength. Sometimes I'll sun soak a gem before I start to design. I'll take it and leave it sitting in the sun, and then I'll come up with something in terms of design, because I really believe that there's a universal energy that goes into a gem. Now the person who owns the gem is the paramount thing for me; they will select a piece because that stone spoke to them. I have a client who can afford any gem in the world, but she sees a 33-carat green peridot and she says, "I've got to have this stone!" Why? Because that stone speaks to that person. In life there are so many dark things that happen, and I think that jewellery is one of the really bright spots. There's so much darkness and fear and uncertainty, that there are certain beautiful things that speak to our souls.

Creating a business in this country is not an easy thing to do, but creating a strong brand with high visibility 25 years later is a particularly difficult feat. What would you say has catapulted you to this particular place and time, where your brand really does mean something to so many people?

Diligent hard work, integrity, honesty and the fact that I grew very slowly. There are a lot of people who want everything instantly. But I started my business with 362 square feet of space where I met my clients, and I treated them with a lot of respect and dignity. And I took every repair job, every restringing job. And people remember loyalty, they remember experiences. Service, integrity and honesty are all important. All you have is your reputation in this business. A happy customer tells two people, an unhappy one tells 10. Every customer has to leave happy. People expect that if they're spending, they want to be looked after. We have 19 people on staff here. We look after our clients. We're manufacturing, we're marketing, we're retailing, and we're growing the company. The funny thing is I keep thinking I'm just getting started.

This interview has been condensed and edited.