The Enduring Appeal of Pyrrha

Vancouver-born Pyrrha is known for its emotive talismans, heraldic-inspired designs often paired with a profound quote, becoming totemic expressions for its wearers. Talismans are reminders to think or act a certain way. A single design, symbol, or saying resonates differently for each person, depending on the message they want to receive.

Over the years, Pyrrha has caught the attention of Ryan Gosling, Patti Smith, Margot Robbie, and many others. Andrew Garfield mentioned his Direction talisman in his “10 things he can’t live without” video for British GQ. Smith performed at Pyrrha’s 20th anniversary in the Vancouver studio, and Pyrrha collaborated with her daughter, Jesse Paris Smith, to design the Music Unites Us talisman, with partial proceeds going to her environmental charity Pathway to Paris.

Pyrrha’s steady rise to fame was due in part to its breaking a mould, and also because the founders and designers, Wade and Danielle Papin, never strayed from their business ethos: sustainability, staying true to their identity, and creating something lasting.

Partners in business and life for 31 years, the Papins started the brand in their home in 1995. Starting with a modern, clean aesthetic in the beginning, they didn’t diverge into the signature designs associated with the brand today until the early 2000s, after finding a British antique wax seal collection at an estate sale. Envisioning them as pendants, they translated the historical imagery into jewellery by casting the seals in sterling silver. The name derives from the Greek myth of Pyrrha and Deucalion, the last two people on Earth after a great flood, who received a cryptic message from Hermes to throw stones. The stones thrown by Pyrrha became women, helping repopulate a new world.

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Apart from the design, one of the main things the Papins were excited about was the physicality of the pieces, Wade says: “The idea that it was this fragile old thing that we were going to give new life and permanence to, so the idea of translating that into sterling silver to last forever, when something would otherwise just dissolve over time.”

 

The duo wanted to highlight the cracks and flaws in the seals themselves, “because we’re all flawed, and we kind of like that idea,” he explains.

Current designs are inspired by their collection of paintings, old heraldry books, and the British Museum archives, softening the combative imagery seen in heraldry by wrapping a snake around a sword, for example. When creating new pieces, maintaining a look and feel that is old is important to them, according to Danielle. They cast their sustainable jewellery in 100 per cent recycled sterling silver, 14-karat gold, and bronze in their Vancouver studio.

Pyrrha’s office and studio on Columbia Street show the numerous certifications around sustainability: B Corp, a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council and 1% for the Planet, a Butterfly Mark certified through Positive Luxury, and zero carbon certification for the studio from the Canadian Green Building Council—strict social, environmental, and production standards to meet. In addition, Pyrrha is a living wage company. “We do it even though it impacts our bottom line because we think it’s important to the health of the planet and to people’s well-being. We are proud of that,” Wade says.

The studio itself is a reflection of Pyrrha, combining vintage and contemporary elements. A three-storey 1909 home in Mount Pleasant’s industrial area opens to a tastefully designed showroom, while across the courtyard a modern six-level 9,800-square-foot concrete-and-timber tower houses the jewellery makers and artisans. The tower, a passion project for the Papins, was completed in 2021 by local architecture firm Birmingham & Wood.

“Vancouver is really important to us. We met here. We’ll always live here—no interest in being anywhere else. The community is important to us,” Danielle says. “So building something that will be in Vancouver long past us is pretty cool.” For them, maintaining the original features were pertinent. When the couple proposed the project, their accountant told them it wasn’t financially feasible, saying, “It doesn’t make sense.” They experienced a similar sentiment when they opened their first store in Los Angeles, given their Canadian roots. But it was a move Wade and Danielle felt strongly about, and as always, they swam against the tide. “Being unconventional has gotten us to where we are now,” Wade says.

Nearly 30 years on, the Vancouver-made jewellery brand still operates as authentically as it did in its beginnings.

Photographs by Sven Boecker.

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