Carrying on the Craft: How Squalo Jewels Is Sharing Goldsmithing with a New Generation

Alessandra Mei’s history with entrepreneurship may go back to her teenage years, but the Vancouver-based jeweller views herself as a craftsperson first and a business owner second.

In high school, Mei used to make and sell shark tooth necklaces. It was a venture she pursued seriously enough to receive grants from the Ontario government to support her small business as a student.

Now, Mei is the creative behind Squalo Jewels (squalo means shark in Italian). The small, local jewellery studio specializes in high-end custom pieces. “I’m able to make things that I never thought I would ever be able to make,” she says.

Sinking Her Teeth In

Mei moved to Vancouver Island in 2015 to study at the Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria before later enrolling in Vancouver Community College’s jewellery art and design program to hone her craft.

“Being connected with the work that I do is a priority for me over scaling the business, which I think is pretty contrary to a lot of what I was taught in school,” she says. Mei began doing custom work in 2022 during her time at VCC, but just celebrated her first year running Squalo full-time in January.

A handcrafted piece of jewellery will pass through many hands. A goldsmith might craft the metal, a stone setter might place the stone—Mei wants to do every step herself.

“I’ll try to work towards designs that I would be able to totally fabricate, as opposed to having any elements printed or cast,” she says. In that sense, Mei handcrafts every necklace, earring or ring from start to finish. It’s a key part of her self-described “organic” style.

She is currently in the last few months of a multi-disciplinary artist’s residency at Malaspina Printmakers on Granville Island and downtown Vancouver through the Vancouver Metal Arts Association. But aside from the actual fabrication, all of her business operations with Squalo are online.

 

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“Now you don’t have to have a storefront space. You might not have to have inventory in some cases, like me,” explains Mei.

Through it all, Mei has documented her work, using her marketing and photography skills to build Squalo’s social media following. Some Instagram reels have over 300,000 views, while many others regularly reach over 10,000. This growth has led to plenty of business for the young goldsmith.

“Being able to have that low overhead and a lot of exposure through the internet makes it possible for a lot of people who weren’t born into or adjacent to the jewellery industry to get in,” she says. Squalo was also part of a SNAG Metalsmith exhibition in New York last November during New York City Jewelry Week.

Swimming Along

As a young person pursuing a creative career in the skilled trades, Mei sees firsthand the dwindling number of skilled craftspeople in the Vancouver custom jewellery industry who make everything themselves, start to finish.

“In the process of trying to learn these skills, I realized how few actual hands-on skilled craftsmen there were in this industry,” she says. The process is now often automated or 3D printed, and fewer people are making these pieces entirely by hand. “These last great jewellers are retiring and disappearing, and I definitely want to keep those skills alive through my work.”

Mei’s currently training under a Vancouver stone setter that she describes as one of the few “old school” crafters left in the city. “He always says he’s the last generation of actual jewellers,” she says. “I’m going to learn from him for as long as he’s willing to teach me.”

Mei is looking to use those skills to focus her work on custom bridal and engagement jewellery.

“I like the idea that somebody’s going to wear the piece every day,” she says. “There’s definitely a shift in the market where people are leaning towards more bespoke and custom-made wedding rings,” she says.

Mei’s work will be at the artist residency’s group show at Malaspina’s Howe Street studio. The exhibition, which explores the passage of time in the jewellery industry, is set to open mid-to-late summer.