At his workshop in the market area of Ottawa, goldsmith Albert J. Horton produces beautiful original designs by hand.
Working in gold, silver, and platinum among other metals, his pieces include important objets d'art such as wedding jewellery, rings, one-of-a-kind pendants and earrings that he signs with his initials, and simple jewellery such as the rock crystal and silver pendant he made for me.
Horton also repairs jewellery new and old. When I dropped by recently with some earrings needing repairs, he showed me an antique singing bird box he was working on. He turned on the mechanism with a tiny key and the little red bird began to twirl and sing.
Horton, originally from Guyana, follows in the footsteps of traditional jewellers. Some of the earliest hand-made jewellery was found in the Punic tombs of Sardinia when a trove of hand-wrought gold earrings was unearthed some years ago. The Greek diadem, circa 310 B.C., known as the myrtle wreath of Queen Meda (now on exhibit at the Canadian Museum of History), is an outstanding example of an ancient jeweller’s mastery of working with gold.
History of the Gemstone
It all started thousands of years ago when gemstones were thought to have mystic powers. It is interesting to note that jade was once considered to have great medicinal qualities. It was used as a general tonic and was swallowed shortly before death, the idea being that it would prevent decomposition of the body. The common belief today in the power of birthstones, or the wearing of a copper bracelet to protect against the pain of arthritis, comes from back then.
