You've probably never heard of them because they only sell to jewellers, but Stuller is the largest wholesale manufacturer of fine jewellery in North America. They supply a lot of jewellers behind the scenes; we're just more upfront about it. If you ask around, you'll learn that nearly every jewellery store in Canada and the United States has Stuller catalogues behind the counter, and many display Stuller products prominently in their storefronts.

We forego the façade and plug you directly into Stuller's inventory of jewellery and stones. This gives you flexibility to browse and customize their designs the same way a jeweller would, and to experiment with pricing (check out the video on our Shop page). We're here to help if you want it, and when you're ready we'll facilitate your purchase. We're a small outfit with no physical locations or stock on hand, which keeps our markup as low as possible.

Don't be fooled. Except for artisans and a handful of big brand names, very few stores make and sell their own unique jewellery. Those big names that do -- you may disagree at first but we challenge you to look closer -- their designs are not notably different from anybody else's, and while their quality is high, so is nearly every major jewellery maker's. So when you buy from a big brand name, you're paying for just that -- the name. As for smaller (local) jewellery stores, while many will have a goldsmith on site and can build you a "custom piece", in most cases that just means assembling components purchased from elsewhere, i.e. a wholesale supplier. It's a great service, but as we show you at Petitjean Jewellery, many custom builds can be purchased from a supplier already fully assembled. Meaning you're not really paying for assembly, you're paying for the store front, all those staff members and all the face time. It leads to markups of 2-4X and sometimes even more, which is maybe worth it if you need and want all that, but not if you don't.

We plug you directly into our supplier's system so you can browse and customize their designs the same way a jeweller would. Our suppler Stuller only sells to jewellers, so that’s where we come in to facilitate your order. We're a small outfit with no physical locations or stock on hand, so our markup is a small fraction of a box-store’s.

But what about artisans? Listen now. Artisinal goldsmiths offer a whole different kind of jewellery. They are truly unique, worth every penny, and you should absolutely explore that option.

Jules' background is engineering, materials science and project management. He's worked in the nuclear, aerospace and healthcare industries and now brings his passion for materials science to jewellery. He'll soon be a Graduate Jeweller (CJAGJ®) with the Canadian Jewellers Association.

Petitjean Jewellery is a voluntary member of the Canadian Jewellers Association and we embrace its Code of Ethics.

Although we offer thousands of cutomizable designs, it's not the same as artisan jewellery. You should really consider supporting local artisans who will inspire you to get even more creative with your jewellery and work with you to bring your vision to life. Here are a few resources to help you find an artisan in Nova Scotia.

• artisansincanada.com
• novascotiamakers.ca
• www.designercraftshop.ca
• www.etsy.com/ca