Canadian Gift Guide

Nothing gets a girl’s heart racing quite like receiving a small teal box. Tiffany’s! But wait, it could actually be from Canada’s own luxury jewellery retailer, Birks, who has a similar colour scheme and air of prestige to their stunning, sparkling products.

As with a select number of other posts I’ve done, if you’re looking for a ‘realistic’ or ‘affordable’ gift suggestion, read no further. This is for the beleaguered, or perhaps simply generous, gentlemen out there that really want to blow the roof off the place this holiday season with a stunning trinket for their lady loves.

The number of items I could recommend to you at Birks are astounding. Instead of picking out a few pieces, because the range for jewellery is so insane (although helpfully, Birks has a gift guide option that allows you to select by price), I’m instead going to point you to their vintage department. The wizards at Birks have collected some truly stunning pieces at a range of price points. A quick browse  revealed one piece starting at $560 with prices escalating from there into the thousands.

Here’s the gist of why I’m even mentioning this. If you’re going to do jewellery, why not make it special? Instead of paying someone tons of cash to hammer out a new design – with gems obtained of questionable means – take a look at these vintage pieces instead and see if there’s something that strikes your fancy. The person you bequeath it to will have a one of a kind piece, and in the case of jewellery versus say, clothing, it tends to stand the test of time…and if anything, be better.

Having a piece of vintage jewellery means it was designed with a completely different mindset than someone working today to recreate a 1920s-style brooch or necklace. There is a story behind each piece, and a rare kind of beauty as well. The idea of buying a piece of antique jewellery for your gal channels a romantic, upper crust, Gone With The Wind sort of romance, because quite simply, it makes you feel special. Plus, buying through a trusted dealer like Birks is far safer than going to your local flea market, pawn shop, or other eyebrow-raising establishment.

To view the full, ever-changing collection, simply visit Birks.ca and click on the ‘Vintage’ tab, selecting whatever type of jewellery strikes your fancy. And if you’re thinking of popping the question, be sure to take a gander and see if there’s a stunner that’ll bring her to tears, now and forever.