They say that good things come in small packages, but great things come packaged in jewellery boxes. And the greatest things come in packages from J. Vair Anderson Jewellers. For nearly 100 years, Calgary’s most respected jewellery store has been delighting brides, spouses and cherished loved ones with an incredible selection of watches, rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces.
From the very beginning, J. Vair Anderson Jewellers has provided Calgarians with high quality jewellery pieces from the most coveted brands on the market. It started with J. Vair Anderson, a trained watchmaker from Ontario who headed west to make his fortune in the early 1900s. He apprenticed under notable local jeweller D.E. Black before opening his own store on 8th Avenue in 1925. As the business grew, the store moved from its flagship location to a new spot in the Core in TD Square and finally settled in its current 3rd Street SW location where it has done business for the past 22 years. The family business was passed from J. Vair to his son, Gordon, and then to his grandson Ken Anderson. In 2016, Annette Toro took over the business and is as committed to the company’s success as were the generations that manned the store before her.
“J. Vair has a great reputation and is a staple in the Calgary community. I feel honoured to be able to carry on the legacy of the Anderson family,” says Annette Toro, owner of J. Vair Anderson Jewellers.
As the keeper of the J. Vair legacy, Toro has continued to provide exceptional service and products while keeping up with modern fashion trends. The landscape of retail has changed significantly since the founder’s days and the expectations of represented brands have soared. In response, Toro renovated the store to provide brands with a “shop in shop” set up. As have many retailers around the world, J. Vair Anderson Jewellers has accommodated its valued brand partners by employing the concept of a store within a store where brands like Rolex, Wellendorff and Mikimoto can uniquely showcase their lines in their own section of the space. All the while, she is continuing to attract new brands to represent in the store to offer more variety and selection to customers.
“One of the key successes of J. Vair is that it has changed with the times,” says Toro. “We’re constantly adapting, changing, reinventing and renewing brands. We believe in adapting to our environment.”
Whether visitors to the store are drawn to the refined luxury of Henrich & Denzel pieces or the beautiful, handpicked gemstones of Lauren K, the handcrafted beauty and quality of IsabelleFa jewellery or the fine selection of Mikimoto pearls, the exceptional designs of Wellendorff or the timeless elegance of the J. Vair Anderson line of jewellery, they are sure to find the perfect piece that fits both the occasion and the tastes of the wearer.
The jeweller strikes a good balance between the latest fashions and classic styles, and no matter the design it always features quality stones that stand the test of time. Many of the pieces at the store are diamond-based, and the jeweller deals only in stones with incredible clarity, cut and colour. But J. Vair Anderson carries something to suit every taste so if diamonds don’t appeal to a customer, the cases display a fine selection of jewellery featuring stunning coloured stones like emeralds, rubies and sapphires from around the world.
“We’re always looking at what the industry is doing and how it’s changing,” she says. “We sell many unique brands in the city that other jewellers don’t carry.”
J. Vair carries Mikimoto pearls, which are considered to be the best in the world and offer stunning Black South Sea, White South Sea, Akoya or hues of gold and green that are always in style. But these aren’t your grandma’s string of pearls; Mikimoto has reinvented pearl jewellery which is far from stuffy and conservative. Today’s pearl jewellery is fashion-forward, sleek and sexy for both men and women.
For those who want to a piece of jewellery to be even more special, J. Vair is happy to custom design a piece for clients. After a one-on-one consultation, the skilled designers on staff produce a hand drawn or computer rendered depiction of the client’s dream piece of jewellery. The gemologist and designer counsel customers about the stones available and help them select the perfect one for the design. The team is experienced and knowledgeable, and they are thrilled to design wedding and engagement rings, commitment bands, anniversary bands or a custom jewellery piece for any occasion for customers. J. Vair also does corporate service awards such as pins, cufflinks, pendants and bracelets.
Many customers come in for a custom design inspired by a piece of inherited jewellery. While these heirloom pieces are close to customers’ hearts, they may not be something the next generation would choose for themselves. Some customers want to honour their loved ones by continuing to wear the piece and opt to restore them while others ask the J. Vair team for advice about using parts of the piece to create something new that better reflects the wearer. Concept and design of custom pieces are done in-house while a partner goldsmith that has been working with J. Vair Anderson for 50 years brings the design to life offsite.
The staff is committed to customers and is proud to support clients well beyond a sale. J. Vair’s team provides customers with jewellery appraisals for estates or insurance coverage, prepares diamond, pearl or coloured stone grading reports and provides natural versus synthetic identification for diamonds and coloured stones. They also do repairs on jewellery pieces, whether a customer needs a new clasp on a necklace, a ring re-sized or to have diamonds reset. The employees at J. Vair Anderson pride themselves on giving superior service for whatever a customer could want.
And one thing that more and more customers are wanting is a watch. The custom of wearing watches waned with the advent of the cell phone, as people transitioned to getting the time from their phones instead of their wrists. Watches have once again become a must-have fashion accessory and J. Vair is the go-to jeweller for the best men’s and women’s timepieces in the city. The store is an independent Rolex dealer and also offers quality timepieces by Grand Seiko, Bremont, Sinn and Nomos Glashutte. The staff takes a lot of time with clients to find out which brand and specific piece best fits their lifestyle and tastes to ensure they walk out with a beautiful watch that will last them a lifetime, and then some.
“Timepieces have become increasingly more popular over the past five years, so much so that with Rolex for example, it’s difficult to acquire one these days because the demand is way ahead of our supply,” says Toro. “There are a lot of young people wearing watches now and they are viewing them as an investment piece that is meant to last and be passed down from generation to generation.”
J. Vair isn’t limited to new watches either; the store offers customers a collection of incredible preowned quality pieces from top brands including Omega, Rolex, Patek Philippe, Hublot, Tissot and Panerai. The store also deals in previously owned jewellery including engagement rings, cocktail rings and brooches.
“I love vintage jewellery so we have a section of our store where we have previously worn and loved jewellery. We’re probably one of the only stores in Calgary that does consignment or sells previously loved jewellery and certified previously owned timepieces,” she says.
J. Vair Anderson is also one of the only stores that has generational clients. The staff has always taken the time to develop relationships with clients, and those relationships lead to repeat, long-time customers who pass their preferred jeweller down to the next generation. It is common for someone to come into the store for an engagement ring because his father and his grandfather before him bought their engagement and wedding rings there. It’s an honour and a responsibility Annette Toro and her team don’t take lightly. They are committed to quality products, quality service and quality relationships just as the founder was in 1925.
Toro is also continuing with J. Vair’s tradition of community support and involvement. She is humbled by the support of the community and wants to give back however she can. The organization supports the arts by donating to and participating in the Banff Centre for Performing Arts’ Mid-Summer Ball and also supports a range of children’s causes including the Alberta Children’s Hospital, Kids Cancer Care and Calgary Business Fore Kids. And as an iconic institution in Calgary, it’s only fitting that the store’s name is emblazoned on the side of a chuckwagon competing at the Calgary Stampede.
J. Vair Anderson Jewellers has been part of the Calgary business landscape for almost 100 years and has been a part of people’s best memories. Whether it’s a timeless timepiece or a stunning pair of earrings or a ring that symbolizes a couple’s love, J. Vair Anderson has the perfect piece for that perfect occasion.
“There is nothing more rewarding than being able to celebrate joyous occasions with our clients, whether it’s an engagement, anniversary, graduation, birthday or just because,” Toro says.
The incredible staff and owner Annette Toro are dedicated to making Calgarians shine, one jewel at a time.
409 3rd Street SW
Calgary, Alberta, T2P 4Z2
Phone:(403) 266-1669
Store Hours
Tuesday – Friday: 10:30AM – 5:30PM
Saturday: 11:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday: Closed
