A few days ago, the Toronto Zoo posted a video about a bonded pair of endangered African penguins, Chupa and Ellie, showing how penguins court each other with gifts. 


Peoples Jewellers took notice and decided to make them a one-of-a-kind necklace. Working with Toronto-based creative shop Juliet, they quickly jumped into action and researched what African penguins love to eat. Turns out it’s horse mackerel, squid and crustaceans, anchovies, pilchards, and round herrings. 

Juliet’s creative team then paired one of Peoples’ jewellery designers with Kazuki Uchigoshi, the famed sushi chef at Toronto restaurant Miku, to start work on a one-of-a-kind piece for Chupa and Ellie. “When we saw the post about the penguins we instantly knew we wanted to create something unique for these two lovebirds,” says John McNamara, Vice-President, Marketing, at Peoples Jewellers. “Our company’s mission is to celebrate life and express love — all types of love.” 


The result is the stunning piece – at least in the eyes of a penguin. “It’s definitely one of the more fun calls I’ve received,” said Kim Haider, Marketing Manager at the Toronto Zoo.