Our Story
Hi, I'm Steph; the founder & designer behind Little Gold.
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The Story
It started in a tiny, glass-walled kiosk; a greenhouse-like space filled to the brim with sparkling gems.
By the summer of 2014, Little Gold had moved into our own standalone shop in the heart of downtown Victoria.
This airy space in a heritage building held a curated collection of pieces from incredible independent designers, alongside my own pieces (and a thriving tomato plant).
With crystal-inspired furnishings hand-built by friends and family, a pile of secondhand rugs, two employees that I couldn't have done without, and one very beloved shop dog - this was home.
After 6 years, and although I loved this beautiful space and community, I knew in my heart that I was ready for something new.
In 2020, with the shop's lease coming to an end, it felt like the right time to take a leap (and a very deep breath) and moved Little Gold fully online.
Now working from my home-based studio, I had shifted to focusing on and developing my own line more completely. Learning new techniques and honing old ones, I started to slowly unearth my own style and voice as a maker.
The Process
For designing and creating, I use traditional jewellery techniques mixed with modern technology.
My first love is hand-sculpting a new design - each piece showing the tool marks and individuality of its maker; the imperfect beauty of something made by two hands.
But I also love just trying things out and learning something new. Using a mix of hand-carving, traditional sketching & digital renders combined with the ancient art of lost-wax casting and modern tech like 3D printing, it all comes to life.
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When I started struggling to produce my pieces in larger quantities to keep up with demand (!), I ended up developing an amazing 6+ year friendship with a tiny, independent jewelry production studio in Jaipur, India.
Run by a husband-and-wife team (and my dear friends), being able to make this kind of connection, growing together over the years, has been so special.
The Inspiration
I used to spend hours pouring over my grandma's charm bracelets and jewellery collection. Each was a moment, a memory, weaving together on a delicate gold bracelet, forming her story.
And after being in jewellery for so many years, the thing I still love the most is hearing customer stories & translating them into wearable tokens like those charms. Maybe it was something funny - an inside joke (I see you, Silly Gooses), marking a milestone, an ode to the people and things you love, or a little reminder that you can hold.
Being able to create pieces that are kind of like life - beautiful, funny, meaningful, maybe a little out there sometimes.
This is what I’m most proud of with Little Gold: people choosing to connect my jewellery with themselves, the most emotional parts of their lives, and their own stories.
Sure, the little house charm is cute but it also represents that day you and your best friend moved in together during college; those starry summer nights spent laughing on the tiny balcony under the glow of fairy lights (and maybe figuring out how to get red wine stains out of the rental's carpet...)
For more than 10 years, this has been my inspiration - being able to share it, connecting with you & your stories is nothing short of magic.
Here's to the next 10!
