Anice,Brittany Hopkins’s new jewellery boutique on the periphery of Kensington Market, is a modest 310-square-foot space with a lot of natural light. The bijou shop—spangled with light-refracting gems, brass cogs and general eye candy—is named after Hopkins’s grandmother, a petite but fearless woman who made her mark through statement accessory choices. “She was absolutely adorned all the time, and I was totally fascinated—and that’s what fuelled my childhood obsession with jewellery,” explains the loose-locked Hopkins, who moved from Edmonton to Toronto four years ago to study goldsmithing at George Brown.
Almost everything in the store is handmade by Hopkins, who prior to opening the shop sold her wares online and at Hogtown boutiques such as Tabula Rasa and Risqué. Now that Hopkins has her own space, she has expanded her mandate into a four-fold operation that includes one-of-a-kind jewellery, custom work and repair, antique treasures hunted for by Hopkins and workshops. When crafting custom pieces and upcycled creations (made from salvaged antiques), Hopkins’s goal is to create jewellery that will be timeless, but also weighted with history. If nothing on the shelves entices, Hopkins is happy to sit down and tailor individual baubles to clients’ personal styles. She also encourages people to bring in their own heirlooms so that they can be updated in style while remaining anchored to the past.
Hopkins had originally planned to open her shop in September, but when the perfect nook next to Pretty Freedom (co-owned by Hopkins’s good friend Jodee Aguillon) became available, she knew the opportunity was too serendipitous to give up. Being located in the Market automatically means that the foot traffic is of the eclectic ilk, to say the least; within a week of the store’s opening, Hopkins had already been asked to work on the strangest jewellery-related project she’d ever been approached with: turning a Value Village–salvaged antique clipboard with a unicorn clip into a necklace.
Considering Hopkins only found the space a little over a month ago, she’s done a phenomenal job of creating eye-fetching displays: earrings hung on a wrought-iron fireplace screen, necklaces suspended in gilt picture frames, delicate gold chains juxtaposed against ragged barn board, amethyst pendants draped across rusted horseshoes and a hollowed-out clock shell used as a display case are just some of the whimsical touches that invite passersby to explore these fantastic one-of-a-kind wares.
Knotted wax-cord bracelets with sterling silver beads and tags for stamping/engraving. Each one sports accents like an antique charm, a semi-precious stone, freshwater pearls or Swarovski crystals
Each one is defined by a unique charm or bead. Materials include an antique H charm found on the sidewalk years ago, Peruvian opals, turquoise chips, freshwater pearls and hand-painted porcelain beads
“I bought this antique farmhouse scale in Port Perry a few weeks ago, as a gift to the shop. It's in a display of vintage treasures (on the left) that I haven't incorporated into Anice pieces yet, but to give the customer an idea of how the process works and perhaps find inspiration to do something with them themselves.” (Image: Caroline Aksich)
The long silver-strand necklace is anchored by a turquoise bar pendant ($75), while the short necklace is a vintage chain and pendant from an elderly ladies group in Sidney, B.C., to which Hopkins added kiwi-coloured cut-glass beads and a chain ($55) (Image: Caroline Aksich)
A vintage watch pendant donated by Anice paired with Peruvian opal chips, Swarovski crystals and freshwater pearls. “It doesn't work but I love the shade of gold,” says Hopkins
Eight one-of-a-kind necklaces made from recovered antiques. From left to right, puka shells, a sterling silver tag pendant, a knotted ring pendant with Peruvian opal, one of Anice's cufflinks and an antique belt piece with irregular natural quartz
“These earrings are made from African trade brass pieces that I got from an amazing African man in Palm Desert over 10 years ago. I have used them in necklaces and earrings, and they have a natural elegance about them, not to mention it's important to me to support the source”
A pendant composed of three irregular crystal quartz pieces, a Peruvian opal and a red-and-gold vintage pin piece (from Hopkins’s grandfather) accents a double-stranded pearl necklace (Image: Caroline Aksich)
“A vintage turquoise pin sent to me by my Grandma's cousin from Arizona, whom I've never met. I love the cowboy-themed detailing. The pin turned pendant sits on a brown leather cord, has a clear Swarovski crystal disc dangling and a slipknot closure at the back (meaning it can be adjusted to be short or long).”
We love Hopkins’s juxtaposed displays—like this lucky horseshoe against a delicate necklace composed of a jagged-cut amethyst on a gold chain ($75). The necklace has a delicate silver rope chain that hangs down the back and is accented with a freshwater pearl and a vintage charm from Anice’s old bracelet ($75) (Image: Caroline Aksich)
Foreground necklace: Natural and irregular crystal quartz with vintage charms and brass hardware materials. “The hard and the soft combination is really complementary with this piece—one of my faves,” extols Hopkins
Hopkins made this necklace as a good luck charm while planning her new venture. Peruvian opal is Hopkins’s “stone of the year,” while the tag stamped with “Anice” reads “06.12” for June 2012, the month she opened Anice (Image: Caroline Aksich)
Aquamarine is the main stone pendant, with a clear Swarovski crystal disc and copper beads from Hopkins’s great-grandma's necklace. The beads have been used on many pieces throughout the store as little accents that are Hopkins’s “way of adding a little extra love” <br />
These pieces were created for the men’s collection. Left: A bolo-style black leather tie with a vintage lapel clip fastener. Details include a vintage brass hardware ring, a black rope chain and black and brass rings sliding on the leather. Right: A piece of a brass pulley enveloped with vintage chain (Image: Caroline Aksich)