Henry Birks

Birks was by far the largest and most influential Canadian silversmith in the 20th century. Henry Birks & Company was established in Montreal in 1879 as a retail jeweler. It became Henry Birks & Sons in 1893 when his three sons joined the business. In 1897 Birks bought out Hendery & Leslie, their largest supplier of silverware, and began manufacturing their own products. Birks manufactured flatware and some hollowware in its Montreal factory until the early 1990s when the factory was closed and production was moved offshore. Birks is one of only a handful of Canadian companies to have held a Royal Warrant, which was granted in 1935 by Edward VII, then Prince of Wales.