Profile: Myles Mindham celebrating 25 years

by Katie Daniel | June 13, 2017 12:19 pm

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By Emily Smibert
Walking up the shrub-lined path towards the entrance of his three-story Hazelton Avenue townhouse located in Toronto’s prestigious Yorkville neighbourhood, visitors are greeted by an enchanting garden strewn with magical metal creatures beckoning them into the beguiling showroom oasis where Myles Mindham awaits. As the Canadian designer celebrates 25 years of Mindham Fine Jewellery, he shares his heart behind the new limited edition anniversary collection, the spirit on which he’s built his company, and why he’s excited for the future.

Catalyst for creativity
At 57, Mindham has accomplished what some designers only dream of.  From international design accolades and brand recognition to contest judging, a rolodex of worldwide clients, and growth from a hotel boutique counter to independent showroom with basement bench workshop, he’s reached a level of success sometimes achieved over several generations. But it hasn’t been without a lot of hard work, and an extraordinary commitment to excellence and sense of self.

A business graduate of the University of Western Ontario, Mindham’s ascent into jewellery design and brand proprietary seemed natural. “I’ve always loved jewellery and always loved anything that sparkled,” says Mindham. “It’s what got me into business in the first place.”

Mindham Fine Jewellery may be a small cog in what’s considered fine jewellery in the grand scheme of the industry, but it’s enough for Mindham. “I get to do what I love and work with an amazing team of 19 people and two black standard poodles named Duq and Nelson, and I’m doing something that creates happiness,” he says. “A lot of people haven’t discovered what we do yet, so that’s why we come to work every day.”

When it came time to reflect on his 25 years, the success he’s had, and how it all happened. Mindham describes the journey as magical. “But where did that magic come from? Where did this creativity come from? Where did my fascination with miniaturization come from? I think I would have to say my childhood.”

As a young boy, Mindham found comfort in the mystical stories his mother read to him and the miniature fantasy lands where they’d take place—places where magic was part of the reality. One story in particular, the tale of a flying bunny who goes out to seek his fortune in a miniature world, stood out among the others. “I believe creativity comes from a very personal and comforting place,” he explains. “Miniaturization and tiny mystical things have always fascinated me, so for our anniversary I wanted to pay tribute to these stories with a dramatic jewellery collection, which emphasizes the sharp contrast of sparkling light against a foreboding fantasy forest.”

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The collection
The 35-piece anniversary collection entitled, ‘Magical Woodland,’ is split into three parts embodying imagery from the story Mindham loves so much: Moon Fairies, Wings, and Mushroom Wishes. The anchor pieces—the magical forest amulet, the mushroom house brooches, flying bunny brooch,  and moon fairy ring—play off these themes, and the rest of the collection blossoms from them.
“Not everyone can wear the flying bunny brooch, but others can wear the wings. So we did a very simple motif in the collection with diamonds,” says Mindham.

While the spectacular plique-à-jour bunny brooch is the central focus of the Wings collection, the other pieces are equally stunning. From delicate gold wing drop earrings, to double finger white diamond and gold rings, there is an option for every taste and price range—the pieces start at $280.

The Moon Fairies collection plays on the contrasting flash of light, as seen in the amulet, the glow of the evening moonlight lingering in the forest, and the streams of light and sparkles accompany forest moon fairies. Iridescent stones like chalcedony, quartz, Sri Lankan moonstone, opal, and pearl have been used to bring this motif to life.

“I love the way the light plays with the chalcedony cabochon pieces.  The flower ring holds a tiny surprise, and if you look closely you’ll see there’s a little moon fairy in there doing her job; she’s opening the petals using her wings.  This piece is an expression about life’s expression and bloom,” says Mindham. “I really do believe mystical things happen in the woods because that’s what I believed growing up as a child.

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A league of its own
While Magical Woodland celebrates a small glimpse into the inner workings of Mindham’s creative process and what inspires him, there’s also much to say about what sets Mindham and his entire operation apart.

Mindham’s ability to express a high calibre of technical and design skill while remaining committed to creative integrity, is the key to his success. “People like to engage in creativity and we do that here,” says Mindham. “We don’t just make jewellery, we create it. We’re not just buying and putting it in a case like a commodity.”

Unlike so many designers and retailers, Mindham Fine Jewellery render designs, manufactures, evaluates, and sells jewellery in-house under one roof.

We affectionately call this the factory,” says Mindham. “I like to share what goes on; not all clients get to go down into the workshop, but some do because they’re curious. This kind of fully integrated production facility is unusual for a jewellery store, but here we are.”

Most retailers buy products at trade shows and bring them into the store and/or some jewellers have individual benches and will buy mounts for castings and put individual stones in to create their pieces.

For Mindham, this production process and commitment to creative excellence is also what takes jewellery from a commodity to an art form. And according to the designer, “When you make jewellery artful, you attract an entirely different type of clientele,” he says. “We’re about creating meaningful things and opening that experience up to the client,” says Mindham.

[4]Meaning matters
As the jewellery industry continues to evolve and attempts to capture the millennial market, Mindham says he is fortunate to understand what millennials care about: experience, meaning, and quality.

“They don’t care about a two-carat diamond,” he explains. “Millennials care about where the diamond came from, who made it, how it was crafted, and what the energy behind it is.”

Mindham continues to make ‘meaning’ the mission of his work. “I want to make people understand and appreciate the story behind things; meaning is what our culture and clientele are hungry for,” he says. “If customers understand the piece of jewellery and see the impetus behind it, they no longer commoditize it; they see the value we’ve added to the metals and jewels because really we’re actually adding value through our creativity,” says Mindham. “We’re making heirlooms, and they aren’t disposable. Our jewellery carries memories and moments.”

As Mindham Fine Jewellery looks towards the future and upcoming collections, trunk shows, and company expansion plans, “It takes years of discipline to keep building and building,” says Mindham. “It’s still what we’re doing today, building; this anniversary is a nice moment along the way, but we still have a long way to go.”

Mindham Fine Jewellery’s 25th Anniversary Collection

Source URL: https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/features/profile-myles-mindham-celebrating-25-years/

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