Must-Know Jewellers in the Underbelly of Montreal

 Discover six rising jewelry designers shaping Montreal’s fashion scene— bold designs, and where to find them.

The Value of Supporting Independent Jewelers

Choosing to support independent jewellers goes beyond buying a beautiful accessory—it’s an investment in artistry, ethics, and community. Jewellers craft is precious as it carries attention to detail and stems from creative passion.

Other than creating an ensemble, here are 4 ethical reasons to keep supporting independent artists:

One-of-a-Kind Craftsmanship


 Independent jewelers pour their creativity and skill into every piece, often designing and crafting each item by hand. This means no two pieces are exactly alike. When you purchase from them, you’re wearing a story, a vision, and a level of craftsmanship that mass production simply can’t match.

Ethical and Sustainable Materials


 Many independent jewelers prioritize responsibly sourced materials, using recycled metals, conflict-free stones, or even locally found elements. This commitment to sustainability helps reduce environmental impact and supports fair labor practices—making your jewelry meaningful both aesthetically and ethically.

Personalized Customer Experience


 Unlike large retailers, independent jewelers offer a personal touch. Whether it’s a custom design, a tailored fit, or a thoughtful consultation, you’re more than just a transaction—you’re part of the creative process. This one-on-one experience often results in pieces that hold deep personal significance.

Supporting Local Talent and Businesses


 Buying from local jewelers helps keep creative talent thriving within your community. It also circulates money locally, boosting small businesses and contributing to the cultural and economic fabric of neighborhoods like Montreal’s Mile End.

​Montreal produces a vibrant handcrafted jewelry scene. This fusion results in unique, high-quality pieces that reflect the city’s rich cultural tapestry. These are my favourite jewelry designers. Information has been sourced from the Artist’s websites. Keep reading to see these 6 gorgeous gems in Montreal. Pun was very intentional 🙂

Featured Jewelers

1. Soie Lait

About

In 1994, the artist Pauline Ebel was born to the Indigenous territory of Tiohtià:ke in Montreal. She creates her work in a self-taught way under the name Soie Lait.

Soie Lait focuses its craftsmanship on jewelry, including articulated pieces, traditional bookbinding, and leatherwork. She embraces the imperfection of organic forms and materials with humour and aesthetics. Her visual qualities are highlighted, placing them at the centre of its artistic expression as both a medium and a motif.

Soie Lait, translates to {be ugly}, presents itself as a short manifesto aimed at individual and collective emancipation. She aspires to give each piece a unique essence, deeper than simple aesthetic ornamentation, offering its wearer real potential for expression. Thus, Soie Lait seeks to transform the passion.

“Learn to say “F*** You” to the world once in a while. You have every right to. Just stop thinking, worrying, looking over your shoulder wondering, doubting, fearing, hurting, hoping for some easy way out, struggling, grasping, confusing, itching, scratching, mumbling, bumbling, grumbling, humbling, stumbling, numbling, rumbling, gambling, tumbling, scumbling, scrambling, hitching, hatching, bitching, moaning, groaning, honing, boning, horse-shitting, hair-splitting, nit-picking, piss-trickling, nose sticking, ass-gouging, eyeball-poking, finger-pointing, alleyway-sneaking, long waiting, small stepping, evil-eyeing, back-scratching, searching, perching, besmirching, grinding, grinding, grinding away at yourself. Stop it and JUST DO!”- Pauline

By incorporating materials found in its environment, such as pebbles, cement, and glass, as precious stones, Soie Lait explores the transient nature of objects. This approach highlights the parallels between the value attributed to objects, their temporality, and their environmental impact.

In an effort to minimize the ecological footprint of its production, Soie Lait implements practices conscious of these issues at several stages of the creative process. The leather used to make the covers of these notebooks comes mainly from end-of-stock items. The notebooks detach from the leather cover are designed to be preserved, while the cover itself is intended for continuous, long-term use.

Why You’ll Love Them

The jewelry is sculpted from organic beeswax sourced from local producers and purchased in bulk. Packaging is made from repurposed paper bags and leather scraps from local upholsterers. Travel is primarily by bicycle, foot, and public transportation. The use of hand-scavenged local stones and recycled sterling silver are incorporated into several pieces, as well as the majority of the custom-made notebook clasps.

Image Sourced: https://www.soielait.com/

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2. ORA-C

About

Launched in May 2015, ORA-C is a Canadian jewelry brand created by designer Caroline Pham. She meticulously fabricates every piece by hand in her Montreal studio as unique wearable sculptural works. Her pieces are delicate yet bold, featuring striking color compositions and textured metal work. While Caroline finds beauty in the imperfections of the handmade object, her work is grounded in the value of good craftsmanship. She takes inspiration from ancient techniques and artifacts of the past, but her self-taught and experimental approach to jewelry-making paired with her eye for expressive styling gives an edge to her work.

Most pieces are made-to-order. This comes from her attempt at creating a brand that cares about sustainability by avoiding waste. Slow-made fashion is a concept deeply ingrained in her work philosophy. Other than her larger collections, she also sporadically creates batches of OOAK (one-of-a-kind) pieces, made in limited editions, mainly using unique natural stones she has gathered over the years. She additionally often takes on custom projects from clients like engagement rings or special requests of all kinds. Do reach out directly if you have a special project in mind.

Why You’ll Love Them

After growing up in Montreal and Hong Kong from a French Canadian mother and a Vietnamese father, Caroline spent 10 years in New York City where she graduated from Parsons the New School of Design studying illustration and industrial design. Since, she dabbled in many projects as a creative freelancer for various industries such as film, art and fashion. She has worked a wide range of skills for projects of all kinds, such as graphic design, model building, prop styling, art directing and film curating.

With a fascination for color, mixing the use of eclectic materials and a passion in foreign art, through films, art and travels, she slowly geared her path to creating something of her own. In 2013, Caroline moved back to her hometown, Montreal, where she found the time and space to focus on an experimental jewelry journey. ORA-C was born.

 Image Sourced: ORA-C Jewelry– ORA-C jewelry

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3. DEUX LIONS

About

Deux Lions Jewelry is run by a brother-sister duo driven by nature’s wild beauty and fierce beings. Inspired by the divine power of feminine forces found within Indigenous, Ancient Roman, and Egyptian cultures.

Charlotte studied metal smithing in Brooklyn, then came home to Montreal where she founded Deux Lions, naming the company after her two lion sized brothers. Her younger one, Alex, joined the team as co-owner soon after, launching the men’s line, Deux Lions Homme. Alex’s studies in metal smithing quickly surpassed his sister’s, becoming the driving force behind the company’s production. Charlotte is also in a band based in LA, where she shoots all the lookbooks and simultaneously records music in line with the brand’s spirit and soul. The music is called Pijama and it’s the perfect soundtrack to the brand image.

Their studio is based in the heart of the Plateau Mont-Royal, where you can make appointments for custom orders with a glass of wine on the terrace overlooking the city.

Why You’ll Love Them

The raw shapes and imperfections of nature guide their effortless designs, alongside their grandmother’s jewelry and old poetry books.

 Image Sourced: https://deuxlionsjewelry.com/

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4. Sarah Bijioux

About

SarahBijoux is a Montreal-based company founded in 2018 by Sarah Simard, a young jeweler who has set herself the mission of offering classic and timeless handmade jewelry in Montreal.Sarah Simard is the founding jeweler behind the brand. Young woman with a passion for fashion and jewelry, she however chose to study communications at UQAM.Following an enthusiastic response to her jewelry among the clientele of YUL Design boutique on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in Montreal, as well as in her entourage, Sarah saw the potential of her project and decided to launch her brand without much questioning. Nearly a year later, in August 2018, SarahBijoux’s website came to life. This led to the creation of new collections, participation in many local markets and the creation of several projects for the brand. Sarah works with sparkles in her eyes and looks forward to continuing the entrepreneurial experience.

Since 2023, SarahBijoux welcomes you to the heart of Mile-End. From the boutique, you can see the jewelers working through a large glass division that separates the boutique from the workshop.

“I always thought that if I one day had a store, the workshop would be featured. It is important to me that the manufacturing process of our products is carried out in complete transparency with our customers.” -Sarah

Why You’ll Love Them

SarahBijoux is a brand that believes in sustainable and ethical fashion. Her philosophy is simple; To offer classic and accessible jewelry that is handmade in Quebec.

Image Sourced: https://sarahbijoux.ca/en

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6. Bilak Jewelry

About

“At times it seems that we only focus on the darkness and negativity in our world, even though there are beacons of light and truth all around us. Now more than ever we must embrace a collective consciousness rich with positivity and illumination. My jewelry is my light. In a luminous array of silver and gold. These little handmade creations are just an extension of me with inspiration taken from the earth, the sky and the sea. Witness my growth and grow with me, because we’re all just little flowers growing under the same yellow sun…” – Bilak


Why You’ll Love Them

From mermaids, mermen, swords, butterflies, flowers, aliens, pyramids, spiders, castles, heart locks, fishes, and more Bilak has you covered. Her style has mystic fantasy style incorporates new aged ideas with ancient civilizations.

Each theme is categories by “Collections”. Pillar and Underwater Vision are my favourite.

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