Mad Love Monday - Sonja Deklerk Fine Jewellery
The decision to become a jewellery designer was a natural fit for me as it complimented my educational background in Fine Art. Truly, jewellery is art at its finest...
Hi, I'm Sonja and I am so excited to introduce myself to the YBB community!
I’m a fine jewellery designer who is passionate about creating jewellery as unique and beautiful as the individual for whom it is intended. I am a listener and interpreter who artistically transforms your heart's deepest emotion and life experience into tangible tokens of your love and affection.
Image Credit Tracey Jazmin
The decision to become a jewellery designer was a natural fit for me as it complimented my educational background in Fine Art. Truly, jewellery is art at its finest... the most precious of materials are used to create these timeless works of art. Studying at the Gemological Institute of America enhanced my understanding and appreciation of the precious materials that I work with. A vital component in all that I do is having a clear understanding of how and where my materials are sourced. I will only work with ethically and sustainably sourced diamonds, gemstones and precious metals.
With over 20 years of experience in the fine jewellery industry, the desire to launch my own line was always present. I have had the privilege and opportunity to work for and with the best of the best in our beautiful city of Edmonton. However, the yearning for something more propelled me into becoming an entrepreneur. I was searching for deeper meaning...deeper purpose and a way to share with the world something that was more authentically me. This is the powerful driving force behind all that I do.
If there was one message that I could shout from the rooftops, it would be this:
YOU are precious
YOU are of value
YOU are worth more than gold...
Image Credit Tracey Jazmin
The treasures of this earth are not diamonds and gold. The treasures of this earth are you and I. I am so passionate about sharing this message that I host a podcast dedicated to sharing real stories of the joys and sorrows of life while instilling a message of love and self worth. More Than Gold, the podcast can be found on apple podcast, Spotify and SoundCloud.
I find joy and purpose in helping to empower other women. This is always at the heart of my jewellery design and podcast. I have designed what I lovingly refer to as my "power ring." Wearing it brings me joy, comfort and confidence...when I can design something for another individual that evokes those same responses, it is so gratifying. Every individual needs their own power ring!
I love being an entrepreneur because there is no limit to what is possible. It was the only option available to me that allowed for full freedom of expression in a way that felt meaningful and truly authentic. Through becoming an entrepreneur I have found my voice, calling and purpose. In addition to this, I have had the opportunity to connect with so many inspirational and like minded individuals.
The harsh reality entrepreneurs face as we strive for limitless levels of success means that the possibility of failure is just as strong… the two go hand in hand. There have been many moments of insecurity and self doubt...questioning if I have made the greatest decision of my life, or the worst. I don't know that those feelings will ever truly be overcome, but I have found things that help to reduce the sting. Acknowledging that those insecurities are real and present is part of the solution. Surrounding myself with other likeminded individuals who help and support me is another part of the solution. I have come to accept that some days I am going to need a hand up, and other days I will be the one helping another up.
Image Credit Tracey Jazmin
There have been many collective small moments along my way that have reassured me that I was on the right path, but it wasn't until I signed the lease agreement for my own space that I felt an indescribable feeling of joy, peace and gratitude envelop me...everything felt aligned and right.
On social media, Instagram is where I like to spend more of my time and effort, but I am finding success using LinkedIn as well. My strategy has and always will be to be present and authentic. I recently discovered reels and admittedly am having way too much fun with that. If ever I feel that social media is too much, I just step back and take a little break. I think that is more healthy on every level for myself, my clients and my business.
Stress is a very real part of anyone's life, but especially that of an entrepreneur! I need my own time for solitude where I can play the piano in order to de-stress. It is without a doubt the most effective way for me to unwind at the end of the day. My family knows exactly how I am feeling based on how and what I play.
With all of my heart, I am eager to connect with and learn from others in the YBB community. We all need those around us who inspire us to become the best version of ourself...there's always room for improvement, and I have found that positive connections and role models are a highly effective tool. Let's all help to sharpen each other's tools rather than to dull them. I look forward to connecting with you!
Submission by:
Sonja Deklerk GIA AJP
Window Coverings: A tale that involves the threat of danger, political and legal discourse, and even a touch of mystery. - Camelot Interiors
Have you ever rolled out of bed in the morning, poured yourself a hot cuppawhatever and fired up the old search engine to find out what’s new in the exciting world of window coverings?
Have you ever rolled out of bed in the morning, poured yourself a hot cuppawhatever and fired up the old search engine to find out what’s new in the exciting world of window coverings?
Unless you are employed in some way in this very specific industry, I’m guessing that the answer is no. There is, however, a bit of a shake up fast approaching in the blind industry that, as a consumer or potentially someone who works in the home industry, you might want to be aware of. Just when you thought the world of #blindenthusiasm couldn’t get any better, I’m here to tell you a tale that involves the threat of danger, political and legal discourse, and even a touch of mystery.
The Dangerous Part The short and simple fact is this…there is a potential safety hazard when it comes to the exposed cords on your household window coverings. If you take a look at the window treatment nearest to wherever you are sitting right now, you likely have some kind of cord, whether it is a singular string or a loop, that you use to move the blind from open to closed. It is these, and some of the other accessible cords that are in question. According to Health Canada:
• It takes just over 22cm of cord to strangle a child
• From 1989 to 2018 there were 39 deaths in Canada related to the strangulation hazard posed by corded window coverings
I think we can all agree that one child lost is one too many and if there is a hazard in the home, why not remove it? It just makes sense. So what has the Government of Canada done to mitigate the potential threat?
The Political/Legal Part Over the last 3 decades, Health Canada has taken a number of actions to address the hazard concerns such as education programs, warning labels, and the addition of the Corded Window Coverings Products Regulations in 2009. I’m not going to bore you with the details - if you want to know more about the regulations and related executive summary, I invite you to click here for some riveting bedtime reading. To keep things moving along, however, allow me to summarize it for you.
Based on the number of deaths and recalls since the late 80s it has been determined that the current programs and regulations have not resulted in a “sufficiently reduced fatality rate”. This, along with the findings of a risk assessment performed by Health Canada in 2014, has lead to the conclusion that it is necessary to update the regulatory requirements for these products to ensure the safety of Canadian children. Therefore, new regulations have been written to replace the current ones and these have been passed as law in Canada.
Again, for a full breakdown of all the new regulations you can head over to the Government of Canada website but here is the very abridged version:
“Any free hanging or tethered cord cannot be longer than 22 cm. Any cord that is longer, such as inner cords, cannot produce a loop larger than 44 cm when a specific pull force is applied.”
(Alta Window Coverings Dealer Information release)
The above rules apply to the length and pull force of ANY cord, including external/operational cords, inner cords, looped cords, rear cords and power cords. Beginning May 1, 2022 it will be illegal to have any cords longer than 22 cm or looped cords larger than 44 cm on any new household window coverings. Just so we’re clear, I am not exaggerating for the sake of drama. The new corded window coverings regulations will not be a standard or a recommendation, they will be the law.
The Mysterious Part Even though, technically, there can be operational cords, as long as they are 22 cm or less, most manufacturers are doing away with the cords altogether. The reason for which is pretty simple - it’s a bit silly to operate a blind with a cord that short (when my husband and I met our rep in a restaurant and we were miming what it would be like, neighbouring diners saw what I can only assume looked like us milking a herd of tiny, imaginary rodents). In addition to this, if you have a tall window, and you’re not 7 feet tall some like a certain blind installer I know, how on earth are you going to reach the mechanism? Logistically, it just doesn’t make sense to have operating cords that short. So the industry has adapted in the best way it can on most of the products.
The mysterious part is that retailers, such as my company Camelot Interiors have not yet seen a single product with the new adaptations. We don’t know what they look like, how they will operate or if they will operate up to the standards that we and our clients have come to expect. There are any number of reasons for the apparent lack of information. Some manufacturers are keeping their innovations closely guarded to protect them from being stolen; some manufacturers have decided this is not a real thing and they’ve effectively put their heads in the sand; some of the new products just simply aren’t ready.
To further add to the intrigue is that it isn’t quite clear how the new laws will be enforced or who will do the enforcing. Although I did get somewhat excited at the notion of Law and Order: Blind Enthusiasm (insert dun-dun) the information available on Health Canada’s website indicates that there will be “sampling and testing of products, inspection at retail, and follow-up on complaints made by the Canadian public and reporting by industry.” This tells me that it might be somewhat of a “Smokey the Bear” situation - Only YOU can prevent corded window covering injuries - but we shall wait and see.
Some of What We Do Know The good news (other than the obvious potential to save the lives of children) is that there are already many products on the market that meet at least some of the requirements. Window coverings with cordless operation have been on the market for years and they work really well. Motorization and automation is also becoming far more common place thanks to vast improvements being done on the tech landscape. Who doesn’t want to raise their blinds with the touch of a button or with a simple voice command?
For those products that required some significant changes, Canadian manufacturers and industry stakeholders have been hard at work on R&D to get everything into ship-shape over the last couple of years. Still, even with all this sweat equity, there will be some collateral damage. Most notably, is the beloved top-down cellular shade (see photo). Although this product can be made to operate cordlessly, it still requires exposed strings to allow the top rail to travel up and down. Until some tech genius comes up with a new levitating window covering system, it appears that we won’t see this popular product coming back any time soon. Although we have hints of something similar that will meet the regulations (remember the mysterious part?).
The full list of changes and deletions is far too long for me to outline for you here (are you still here?) but my recommendation is this - if you are building a home, renovating a home or if you work in the home industry, find a trusted retailer to help you navigate how the new Corded Window Coverings Regulations will affect your current and future project(s). We may not have all the answers, but we are invested in providing our customers with all the information we can as we become aware of it. If your home or renovation is close to completion and you’ve got your eye on a particular window treatment, don’t leave the selection until the very last minute. To ensure that nothing is installed that does not meet the new regulations retailers will be only be able to order products as they currently are up until early April. After that, all window coverings manufactured in and shipped to Canada, must be up to par or there may be some issues with the law. Which, I suppose, might make for another interesting episode of Blind Enthusiasm (insert dun-dun sound).
Giving to Women & Their Families of Ukraine on IWD and beyond
This IWD hits different and for many reasons. It’s been hard to “celebrate” in a whirl-wind of countless moments of discourse we are aware (and maybe not aware) of when it comes to the advancement of gender equality around the world and here at home over the past 2-3 years.
GIVING TO WOMEN OF UKRAINE THIS IWD & BEYOND.
Written by Kirsten MacDonell, Co-Founder
Graphic designed by iliustra
This IWD hits different and for many reasons. It’s been hard to “celebrate” in a whirl-wind of countless moments of discourse we are aware (and maybe not aware) of when it comes to the advancement of gender equality around the world and here at home over the past 2-3 years. The direct and secondary effects the Pandemic has had on women are especially cruel. Gender-based violence spiked. Economic security advancements heavily vulnerable. Inclusive leadership advancements also vulnerable to impact. These are just a few bruised societal advancements effecting women. Here are just a couple of statistics that paint a picture here in Canada. “Women accounted for 63% of the 1 million jobs lost as of March 2020, and 70% of losses by workers aged 25 to 54.” Our recovery rate since March 2020 is lagging as jobs come back to the market. “Women make up 60 per cent of those in Canada who are economically “struggling”, meaning that they report difficulty covering basic expenses and may need pay day loans or food banks to get by.” Source -www.canadianwomen.org. Furthermore, evidence shows that BIPOC communities are disproportionately impacted by these pandemic outcomes.
Now, imagine, your country has been attacked and an active, cruel and unprovoked war is now occurring on your door-step. You are fleeing, sleeping on trains while sharing a seat with a stranger. Crammed in cars with signs taped to the windows stating “children inside”, carrying all of what you could fit and leaving the rest behind.. You are a daughter saying good-bye to your father, a volunteer civilian soldier who only recently learnt how to use an assault weapon. You are the mother of children you had to peel off of their grandfather and their dad as you said good-bye to escape the danger. You are the aunt doing your best to put on a brave face to entertain your baby niece or nephew while in a bomb shelter you can barely stand up in… You are a woman who only as of weeks ago, is serving your country on the front lines with artillery strapped to your back and while wearing donated military gear…
Today, I saw a viral video of a little girl named Amelia singing “Let It Go” in a Kyiv bomb shelter. Instantly, it brought me to tears. My daughter, only a year or two younger than she, is also named Amelia (spelt “Emilia”) and she also sings “Let It Go” as it is her favourite movie. The relatability of it all was just too much and emotion took over. Today in Edmonton, I took Emilia with me as I offered my time and support to friends who are compiling a fundraiser to #standwithukraine. This all lead me to think this: It’s time we as mothers, daughters, sisters, nieces, granddaughters, do what we know best - CARE for others. SUPPORT others. Support and care for these families enduring terrorizing moments that are going to forever change their lives and leave an imprint of trauma and devastation that will undeniably shape their futures.
Reaching out to Ukrainian-Turkmenian entrepreneur and fellow WorkNicer member, Daria Venkova, we learnt the following ways to act now and show our care for our fellow sisters and brothers of Ukraine this IWD.
Drop off a donation package to your local MEEST office: Click this link to see how you can send 2 boxes per day for FREE or $5.00 per kilogram by air.
Meest is also accepting your Amazon orders. Direct the address to Toronto’s Meest Head office and note HUMANITARIAN AID FOR UKRAINE on the package. Check out this list of needed items. Medical supplies such as pain killers, antibiotics, gauze are just to name a few top of the list as of now.
What makes me so proud to be an Edmontonian, an Albertan, and a Canadian is our “drop-everything and show up for others when the need it” spirit. I see it all of the time in our community. I know you see it too. It’s a beautiful thing that makes us unique and in my opinion great leaders in the world setting an example for many. We hope you find this blog post compelling enough to show more acts for caring. Caring for on another is what we, as women, are so damn good at… Just read every single mothers day card for sale right now and you won’t be able to deny that..
If you’d like to share more ways to get involved with our community, please reach out to hello@ybbconnect.com
Here’s the thing — delegation isn’t about “less work.” It’s about better work. It’s about creating space for the parts of your business (and life) that actually matter.