Kirsten Ross opened The Goldsmiths in 1969 and 45 years later, they’re still going strong. Having started the business in a studio, her customer base was solely built by word of mouth. Back then, people didn’t realize they could get custom-made gold jewellery in Calgary. Kirsten was there to educate Calgarians and let them know they could, in fact, have something special just for them; a unique, hand-crafted piece of fine jewellery.
Originally hailing from Denmark where she was educated as a goldsmith, Kirsten later immigrated to Canada. An entrepreneur at heart, she opened her own studio at the ripe old age of 28. Now she is in her 70s and her daughter Tina helps to run the family business while Kirsten still makes jewellery part time.
Our engagement and wedding rings were individually designed and made for us. Tina (the designer) seemed to know exactly what we wanted when we explained it to her. The rings turned out better that we could have ever imagined. I also thought having a custom made ring would've been much more expensive, but compared to major retail chains, they weren't. For my dollar, you might as well design what you want for the same price or less. It was an amazing and joyful experience for us both. T.L.R.