Stephanie Howatt loves hiking, travel, and exploring the outdoors - all of which inspire her design aesthetic for Turquoise Trixie, her homegrown jewellery company. Her extraordinary work uses a process called “electroforming,” which allows Howatt to turn one-of-a-kind natural elements into dainty wearable art. Turquoise Trixie pieces are available in stores on- and off-Island, as well as through Howatt’s Etsy shop. Her truly magical work marries the strength of its components and their rugged origins with Howatt’s delicate craftsmanship.
Q: Tell me a little bit about yourself. Where are you from, where did you go to school, what are your interests, that sort of thing. I grew up on PEI. After high school, I travelled for a few years, then graduated from Holland College. I now live in Charlottetown in an old home my husband and I renovated, along with our two rescue dogs and cats. I work full-time; Turquoise Trixie is my side hustle, dream child, and creative output. I often come home from my day job and work late into the night at TT. I live to travel, and my husband and I have been lucky enough to visit many places together.
After months of trial and error, I figured out how to control the copper deposits. I was absolutely addicted. I had a few items for sale in a friend’s shop, and she graciously offered to sell my electroformed pieces as well, once I was ready. TT expanded quickly after that. Other local shops wanted to sell pieces, and I also created an Etsy shop.
an anode, which is a piece of recycled copper, onto a cathode, which is whatever object I’m plating. The anode and cathode are suspended in my homemade conductive solution for 12 to 48 hours, while the copper forms a shell around the object, becoming as hard as a copper penny. Prior to suspending the object in the conductive solution, I paint whatever parts of the object that I want the copper to deposit on with conductive paint. It acts like a road map, showing the copper where to deposit. The process can take weeks! I’ve spent a long time perfecting my solution, conductive paint, and electroforming techniques, and I’m still learning every day. Q: What sorts of pieces did you start with, and what new ideas for jewellery have come along since you began Turquoise Trixie? My initial pieces weren’t meant to be worn. They were just attempts to deposit copper onto organic materials I collected. I only realized a few months later that I was creating things I might want to wear. I’m very inspired by nature, and usually come home from places I’ve travelled to with items I found while snorkeling, hiking and adventuring. I never know what people will think of what I make, but I’m lucky enough to have a customer base who support most of my creations.
Q: How did you start making jewellery?
I had never thought that I would be a jewellery-maker, but I’ve loved making things since I was young. I became interested in electroforming after seeing a photo of an electroformed stone in an art exhibit. I thought it looked so organic and beautiful, almost like something mined from the earth. I showed the picture to my dad, and he understood the process behind it. He borrowed a power converter for me to try. I still remember the first shell I successfully electroplated. At that point, I had no idea what I was doing, and since I didn’t seal the shell, my conductive solution turned it blue! After that, I was hooked. I bought my own power converter, and made my own conductive solution and paint. Both are hard to find in Canada, and the ones I tried were expensive and didn’t work well.
Q: When did you start Turquoise Trixie?
I think I started sharing my first successfully plated pieces in February 2016, but I taught myself the process for months prior to that.
Q: Tell me more about how you make your pieces.
TurquoiseTrixie Just a girl creating magical pieces with electricity www.etsy.com/shop/TurquoiseTrixie
Electroforming uses positive and negative electric currents to deposit copper from
WINTER 2019 www.pei-living.ca
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