Birks

I love Canadian brands, but my experience with their repairs department was terrible. I lost an earring back, and wanted it replaced. It took them a full two week to do so, and they really only took action after I called them to inquire (because they called me back and said they could get it fixed the next day, which tells me my earrings were sitting in their repairs desk collecting desk up until then).
It’s unfortunate because I’m always trying to support Canadian brands (over the American ones that are crossing the border) but it’s hard to support them when their customer service just isn’t on par.

Without a doubt Canada’s premier fine jewelry store. Service fun and helpful. Their packaging is beautiful .
I purchased an alexandrite ring recently and went several times prior to making the buying commitment. Knowing their reputation for high quality and aftermarket service made it easy to buy from them.
I was able to see the ring in natural and incandescent light to see the color change .
They treated me kindly no matter how I was dressed. Most of my visits I’m in jeans.
They cleaned my own ring while I browsed the jewelry cabinets.

I went in to Birks today and I wasn’t dressed nice or anything and the staff totally ignored me! I am starting to look at engagement rings and thought I would start looking there big mistake! after about 20 minutes I had to look at the girl and ask to see a ring she pulled it out with an eye roll and the only thing she said is ”this ring is $ 21,000″ granted that is way over my budget but she didn’t know that. The whole time I was there I felt like they wanted me out– I ended up leaving and will never go back. I will keep looking for the perfect ring

I traded my engagement ring for a better engagement ring after 10 years. They have serious engagement rings from .33 (4K) to .70 (8−9K) to a carat (20K) that will set you if you have deep pockets to dig. The engagement rings are very nice and they only carry D, E, F, G, H diamonds, VS and VVS grade. Cut is highly superb, no wonder the prices are up there as well. You get what you pay for, what do I say… It’s Birks!!! The diamonds are ethically mined and traceable, they carry Canadian diamonds as well. I come here to get my ring cleaned every 3 months or so. The employeers are friendly and helpfu and encourage you to browse around. They don’t follow you around as well, which is a good thing.

I’ve had two not-​so-​impressive experiences with Birks and am unhappy that I went back in the second occasion. It is a luxury store that you would expect first-​class service as well as premium quality. On both counts my (and my partner’s) experiences were rather discouraging.
In both counts, the initial sales experience was great. But in the following maintenance (fixing issues with the rings or resizing), the quality of the returned work was inferior and the staff was not supportive in any of the complaints and downplaying the customer’s feedback.
So while the company offers great looking products in the store and the first sales experience is absolutely great, the following experiences were not up to the standards of a high-​end store — hence the two stars.

i didnt (read: couldnt afford to) buy anything, but the sales professionals were so nice! they make their own high quality line of jewelry (quite fond of their high grade pearls), carry lots of vintage (heirloom quality) pieces, van cleef and arpels jewelry, among others. their interior décor may be a bit outdated, but its nice to walk through and browse the lovely collection from this iconic canadian chain.

This store is seriously amazing. 13 000 square feet of luxury, with high ceiling, curved staircase, brass rails (take a look at the detail on the ends), balconies… let me live here! I remember coming here as a kid with my mom, riding the trolley bus all the way down Hastings from Burnaby. I’m not sure why we went in there as we certainly couldn’t afford anything, but it’s a warm fuzzy memory of my childhood. I wish I could have seen what the store was like when it was on Granville & Georgia back in the day.
Anyway, I came here to look at engagement rings with my lovely! We will be visiting many jewelers in the coming months, and this was our first stop. :D
When we stepped in, we took a look at the upstairs part and envisioned our multimillion dollar West Van mansion decorated with beautiful glass vases and silverware so polished we could see through it. Ha! The saleswoman upstairs was friendly… but we were just looking.
Now, onto the jewelry! I am pretty inexperienced when it comes to quality jewelry, but the saleswoman (Shirin) was super helpful — I learned a lot about diamonds! She tried to get me to narrow down certain styles, and I think I now have a better idea of what I prefer & how it looks on my hand, as I had no idea going in what I liked. I think I may have tried on 5 or 6 different styles. I guess I’m a sucker for the gimmicky (but in a good way) rings, as the Birks Blue was pretty neat, with the little blue sapphire, and the Amorique Diamond pave ring was the most sparkly out of everything (the setting and cut lets lots of light through). Also quite possibly the most expensive I tried on… at over $ 22 000?! That’s a lot of money to be sitting on one finger!
We were in there for quite a while, and Shirin was so patient with us. I may not get a ring from here, but perhaps something for my mom one day to celebrate that memory of us together. :D Highly recommend!

Attention guys! Types of gifts you’ll find your lady friends here:
–I’m Sorry necklaces
–I’m really, really, sorry bracelets
–Please, please, please forgive me cocktail rings
–I’m an ass. Please let me in earrings
And of course I LOVE YOU engagement rings.
Canadian diamonds, vintage cases and a whole second floor that I didn’t even look at, this is opulence. (And if you want my opinion, much more character and personality than our lovely lady jeweler, Tiffany’s.)
The staff, Omar to be exact, was kind and helpful. I never felt pushed to try on anything specific, all of my questions were answered thoughtfully and with expertise. If it were up to me, I’d buy a special something here. The only thing stopping me is the price tags!

I had my diamond ring fixed at Birks recently and the service was amazing. It was on time and affordable (which I wasn’t expecting) and they polished my wedding band to match when I picked up the engagement ring. And they checked to make sure I was who I said I was when I picked up the ring, which I appreciated. Thanks to the staff at the Hastings store.

When my husband whipped out a diamond four years ago I didn’t know how to react until he assured me that it was a Canadian diamond. Birks was the only jeweler he came across who could guarantee that the origin of their stones was ethical. Based on my engagement ring, Birks would have five stars.
Unfortunately, when we finally got around to going back for a wedding band, Birks had partnered with TD Bank to offer store credit, which we accepted for the discount. The credit application required a previous address if you had lived at your current address for less than two years. Well, whoever did the data entry had the bill sent to that previous address. After waiting for a bill (and not receiving it), we just went in physically and paid our full bill in cash. It has now been over four months & we’ve just received a bill in the mail for the amount that has already been paid.
Ethical diamonds, yes. Shoddily managed credit, no.

Ever heard of Birks? Of course you have! But did you know this retailer of fine jewellery, timepieces, and gifts was started by Mr. Henry Birks right here in Canada in 1879?! You learn something new every day! Well, the little company that could has since won more international design awards for diamond jewellery than any other Canadian jeweller, and its customer list includes royalty and heads of state.
While in the Hastings store, ask about the Birks Blue, a diamond-​cut blue sapphire and a specialty of the firm. Another Birks exclusive is the Amorique diamond, with a star-​shape cut into the bottom to emphasize its inner fire.
Now, Birks is gearing up to act as official jewellery supplier for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. You’ll find that collection beginning in 2008, wrapped in the iconic Birks blue box.