Once upon a time..
40 something years ago..
our owner Judy, opened up a little goldsmith studio in the heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia. A studio tucked away in the corner of Blowers and Grafton Street, or better known as “Pizza Corner”. FireWorks Gallery, a place packed with “Works made by Fire”; Jewellery, glasswork and pottery. Here you could find locally handblown art glass, contemporary pottery pieces and work by Judy herself.
Four years later, FireWorks Gallery expanded and moved just down the block to it’s current location today, 1569 Barrington Street. Through the 80s and 90s many art shows, designer spotlights and viewings were had at FireWorks Gallery. Custom designed engagement and bridal sets quickly became the studios highest demand, all while becoming Halifax’s home to jewellery restoration and repair. A goldsmith team, a multi-designer showroom and studio found their places in our four level historic building.
The 2000s brought computerization to the jewellery industry and changed the way custom jewellery is made today. Judy was quick to train, learning CAD design alongside designers from other industries. Never losing sight of the importance of old-world techniques; goldsmithing, lost wax casting and fire, the studio embraced new and old together beautifully.
Today, the goldsmith studio at FireWorks Gallery still operates by the same hands. Our day is truly made when second generations of clients come through our door, sharing stories of their parents wedding sets made here in the past. We have a wonderful team of designer consultants and gallery sales, showing our current collection of over 25 Canadian designers and many ‘unique to Canada’ international designers. We’re so proud to be your choice of custom goldsmith, repair shop and Halifax destination for the highest of quality, unique, designer pieces.
Judy Anderson | Owner
Judy Anderson’s passion for jewellery and pottery making began at 12 years old. She spent years learning and selling at wholesale shows and markets. At age 17 she moved to Nova Scotia, where she had visited many times with her family. Judy spent three years wholesaling silver jewellery across Canada before she ventured to open a retail store.
In 1977 FireWorks Gallery was open, a craft store offering works “Made by Fire” Jewellery, pottery and glass from Canadian artists. Through the 80s and 90s, Judy and goldsmith Ha were focusing more and more on creating gold jewellery garnished with gemstones from here and around the world. In the years following with the custom studio running strong, she began visiting and buying from jewellery designers around the world. This global connection brought Fireworks Gallery to it’s modern day profile. Bringing beautiful, handmade, unique pieces from here and around the world to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Judy loves traveling to carefully select lines of jewellery to fit into the store to please and surprise her loyal clients and visitors. When she’s not in the studio working on client’s custom pieces, you’ll see Art Deco, Art Nouveau and Asian influences in her signature work that is featured in-store.
Ha L | Master Goldsmith
Ha started his jewellery career just over 10 years before his FireWorks Gallery journey began. Studying under master goldsmiths in Vietnam, he learned many skills and techniques before coming to Canada in 1980. He brought his extensive knowledge and hand skills to begin mentoring Judy that same year
For 40 years Ha has dedicated his career to his craft. From sizing rings to hand fabricating gold and setting stones he is a true master of the art. His list of talents do not stop there, Ha is an award winning ballroom dancer traveling around the country winning medals that all hang behind his goldsmith bench. He enjoys golfing on the weekends and traveling abroad. Ha is a true gem at FireWorks Gallery, bringing happiness and laughs each day all while repairing, restoring, and creating beautiful jewellery for Halifax and beyond.
Shannon S. | Sales Manager
In 2016, we were on the treasure hunt for the perfect store manager for our team. Shannon arrived with 20 years of retail management experience with seven of those at Birks, others including Gap, Banana Republic and DSW. In just a few years, Shannon has brought our FireWorks family together to be stronger and more connected than ever before. Her passion for communication with our clients and community has helped Fireworks thrive.
Shannon’s personal jewellery style is big and bold, always making a statement. She has a professional and passion filled background in opera and music.
Leah L. | Buyer & Merchandiser
Leah grew up at FireWorks Gallery watching Judy, her mother create jewellery, run a business and everything else that came with it. From the beginning, this artistic and entrepreneurial impression lead her to a creative path. Leah started working in the store at age 16 and studied Fashion Design & Merchandising in 2013. After graduating she brought new merchandising and buying skills to her job at FireWorks. Today, Leah and Judy strive to source the most unique and beautiful jewellery for Halifax, searching the globe through uncommon and intriguing paths to designers and makers. You can also find Leah fitting as many diamond rings on her hands as she can to keep you updated on the FireWorks’ instagram and facebook pages.
Leah’s jewellery favourites are Adel Chefridi and Dorothee Rosen, and she enjoys searching for vintage finds and loose gemstones. Since graduating, Leah has found her true passion in traveling and is always planning her next getaway to see the world. “I’m proud and in love with my job, I get to curate entire collections for the many styles and tastes of my city, Halifax.”
Melissa | Custom Jewellery Consultant
Melissa grew up in Fredericton, New Brunswick and has lived in France and Toronto before choosing Halifax. With a background in English Literature and an interest in the arts, she has a passion for beauty in all creative forms. Melissa joined FireWorks Gallery in 2003 and has gained an extensive set of skills and knowledge about all things jewellery in the last 15+ years. Since then she has become a highly skilled custom jewellery designer creating the best possible pieces for her clients. Whether it’s sourcing a gemstone with the perfect shade or creating a concept to match her client’s wishes, Melissa pays close attention to detail and accuracy. Melissa’s jewellery style can be described as simple, classic and timeless and she loves adapting to the personal taste and preferences of each client. “My greatest satisfaction lies in my customer relationships which I develop with genuine warmth, caring and exceptional service.”
Kallie | Sales & Custom Jewellery Consultant
Kallie joined the FireWorks team in 2017 arriving with a professional background in sales and performance arts. She has a double major in International Development Studies and Sociology and Social Anthropology with a minor in Vocal Pedagogy and recently graduated with a Bachelor’s of Social Work from Dalhousie University. No stranger to learning, Kallie was quickly swept into the world of fine jewellery design. “Jewellery is about holding on to stories and moments, and I love being able to share that with clients.”
Kallie is from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and has lived in the U.K and Western Canada. Her favourite pieces of jewellery in her collection are a diamond pendant made by Adel Chefridi and a large pair of qulliq earrings by Mathew Nuqingaq. You can see Kallie singing with the Halifax Camerata Singers, touring with the Xara Choral theatre and performing at St. Mary’s Basillica.
Catherine | Sales & Custom Jewellery Consultant
Catherine joined the FireWorks Gallery team in 2018 with a background in phonology and theatre. Enjoying art and design, Catherine has become a natural in knowing all of the different jewellery we have in store and diving head first into unique gemstones and diamonds.
Her personal style is fun and bold, and her favourite designers Amali and Beth Biggs reflect that. Catherine loves connecting with the people who walk through our doors and helping them find the perfect unique piece of jewellery. She also loves textile art and making her own kombucha.
Judy Anderson, along with her experienced team of resident goldsmiths have been creating custom jewellery for their clientele since 1977. Located in Historic Downtown Halifax, the shop and gallery is also a full service jeweller offering professional jewellery repair and restoration. In the gallery’s showcases is work by featured and carefully chosen artisans, estate jewellery and FireWorks’ own creations. Together, this makes Fireworks Gallery an artistic, tempting, must-do in downtown Halifax.
At FireWorks Gallery our passion is to search for the industry’s most unique, beautiful and handmade pieces just for you. We are proud to showcase many local artisans that reside here in Nova Scotia. Our love for Canadian jewellery doesn’t stop there, reaching to New Brunswick, Ontario, Alberta to Vancouver we have so many different styles for the perfect gift or treat.
We also feature our favourite designers from regions across the globe including Europe and Asia. We believe these long distance relationships with global makers open Halifax’s eye to a whole new world of inspiration and style.
Fireworks Gallery offers an array of professional jewellery repair services. Whether you have inherited your great grandmother’s wedding ring or require re-stringing of pearls we will take excellent care with attention to detail to your well loved pieces. We believe each beautiful piece in your collection should be worn with confidence instead of tucked away in a jewellery box.
About Us
“Celebrating life’s most important moments with wearable art.”
