Chantel Gushue - Canada
Chantel Gushue
Designer biography:
Based in Nova Scotia, Canada, Chantel is a jewelry factotum. Over the past twenty years, she has consulted as a diamond buyer, studio manager, gemmologist, appraiser, as well as in business operations and administration. She is a Graduate Gemologist and Registered MasterValuer. Her unique set of skills, honed in the studio jewellery world, is complemented by her formal training as a metalsmith. Chantel holds a BFA from NSCAD University and an MFA from MassArt, where her studies focused on drawing parallels between crystal growth and the human condition. She maintains an active studio practice while championing projects that give international exposure to the Canadian art jewellery community.
Collection concept
Box of Rocks is an ongoing exploration of the relationship between perceived value and the natural world. Through a collection of ornamented, artificial rocks, the viewer is invited to reconsider the beauty and significance of ordinary objects. Inspired by childhood memories of collecting and treasuring stones, the work reflects on how simple rocks once held deep personal meaning before adulthood taught us to overlook them. The collection asks what transforms an everyday object into something precious? Is it embellishment, rarity, or simply the attention we choose to give it?
Carefully selecting natural rocks begins the creative process. Those rocks are then cast in foam and enhanced with paint, glass beads, and gemstone elements. By combining natural forms with techniques associated with jewellery and textiles, the work blurs the boundary between found and made, encouraging viewers to reflect on their own memories and the personal value they assign to humble objects. Ultimately, Box of Rocks is a meditation on transformation, perception, and the quiet beauty found in the everyday.
