Born in 1912, founder Eastman Davidson began learning about jewellery making while attending high school in Detroit where he won competitions for his handmade pieces. As a young man he worked security for a jewellery store-in the days of Al Capone, this meant training a shotgun on the front door.

In 1932 Eastman returned to Ottawa with his family where he expanded upon his expertise by taking up the watchmaking trade at a shop on Sparks Street.

Always the entrepreneur, in 1936 Eastman set up shop in his family’s living room on Gladstone Avenue doing watch and clock repairs for jewellery stores and the general public.

During lean times Eastman would travel the halls of government offices offering his watch repair services - complete with pickup and delivery.

In 1939 with $200 cash and credit extended by Bulova Watch Company and William Rogers Silver Company, Eastman chose a location for his storefront in the Glebe which was a new subdivision in Ottawa. It was a risky move to be outside the city centre and rent was steep at $40 a month! Davidson’s Glebe Jewellers opened for business Monday November 27, 1939 with longtime Glebe resident Mrs. Jean MacDonald being Eastman’s first customer.

In 1940 Eastman Davidson married Margaret Flack. In 1941 Mrs. Davidson needed to take over the day-to-day operations of the business when Eastman was called upon to aid in the war effort. Luckily, he was able to stay in Ottawa where he used his watchmaking skills to help the AirForce with working on airplane instrumentation. This allowed him to come home in the evenings and still do watch repairs at the shop.

During his long and remarkable career Eastman gave back to the community he loved. He became president of the Glebe Merchants Association and the Ottawa Jewellers association. He is fourth from the right in the picture taken during the Glebe’s “Sweep Up Clean Up” effort.

1950-Eastman and Margaret Davidson welcomed daughter Judith.

Young Judy started her career in the family business folding boxes for 2 pennies apiece after school and on weekends. She soon graduated to gift wrapping, soldering charms, restringing pearls and eventually serving clients.

As Judy became more involved and the business grew steadily, Davidson’s Jewellers moved to a bigger, more modern location and the corner of Bank Street and Third Avenue where it remains to this day.

Judy became a full time employee and started putting her own stamp on Davidson’s Jewellers as well as the Ottawa business community. At the same time she earned her Graduate Jewellers Diploma and certificates in Jewellery Design, Diamond Grading, and Coloured Gemstone Grading.

In 1982 both Eastman and Margaret Davidson retired, transferring the business to the next generation. Eastman continued to visit the store well into the 1990s.

Davidson Jewellers begins to receive more recognition from the jewellery industry. In 1983 Davidson’s was presented with the De Beers Diamond Achievement Award as the Canadian independent retail jeweller who best portrays an ideal representative for the diamond industry. 

Judy became more active in the Canadian jewellery industry, serving on the Board of the Canadian Jewellers Association. She was heavily involved in the work preparing legislation which eventually led to the appeal of the oppressive Excise Tax on jewellery.

In 1993 Judy was honoured with the Businesswoman’s Achievement Award presented by the Women’s Business Network and the Ottawa Citizen newspaper. This award recognized her exceptional contribution in the field of business, outstanding leadership, entrepreneurial skills and dedication to the community. In 1998 Judy was elected President of the Canadian Jewellers Association. This same year she was  invited by De Beers International to become a member of its esteemed Carat Club and to join a group to travel to diamond mines in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. 

1999 - The Ottawa Board of Trade names Davidson’s Jewellers the Small Business of the Year, from over 100 nominations.

Judy is presented with a lifetime achievement award by the Women’s Business Network for her extraordinary devotion and contributions to the activities, goals and objectives of the Network. 

During this time, John Anderson, future president and owner of Davidson’s Jewellers was working to pursue his career in the jewellery industry by working to become a Graduate Gemologist (GIA) and Certified Appraisal Professional (CJA). He then spent one year working with Morrison Jewelers in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

In October of 2007 John came to work as a gemologist and appraiser at Davidson’s Jewellers.

2009-Judy begins to plan her partial retirement from the day-to-day operations of Davidsons, planning to expand her work in the community. John received the American Gem Society title of Certified Gemologist Appraiser, their highest achievement and a designation shared with only 15 other gemologists in Canada.

John Anderson becomes president of Davidson’s Jewellers on June 1, 2010 as Judy begins a gradual 5 year transition into semi-retirement.

In 2011 Judy was recognized by the Canadian Jewellers Association and received the prestigious Chairman’s Award, in recognition of her contributions to the betterment of the Canadian jewellery industry by conscientiously maintaining the highest standards throughout her career.

With over 20 years of experience in the jewellery industry, Enrico Crivellari joined the team at Davidson’s as General Manager. His knowledge is an invaluable asset and his experience ensures Davidson’s smooth operation.

Leading up to the 75th anniversary of Davidson’s Jewellers, John visited Antwerp, Belgium (the diamond capitol of the world) to hand select the perfect diamonds for our clients. While there he also got to witness diamond trading of both rough and polished stones as well as diamond cutting.

During our 75th anniversary celebrations we were pleased to be able to welcome Jean MacDonald-the very first customer to walk through Eastman Davidson’s door in 1939.

Behind the scenes Davidson’s underwent a major renovation to build an on-site workshop and appraisal lab. The lower level workshop has room for three goldsmiths and features state of the art equipment such as a laser welder and a computerized engraving system.

This was another renovation year for Davidson’s Jewellers. This time it was a complete facelift of the showroom-including display cases-and back offices. The stunning design was by Ann Bada-Crema of Toronto. The fresh modern look was launched at Davidson’s 80th anniversary party in November.

Davidson’s said goodbye to our longest tenured staff member. Lori (Delmer) Killeen started working part time after school and on weekends in 1973. After highschool she became a full time staff member. Her 50-year career was capped off with an open house event with long-time clients and friends stopping by to say goodbye and wish her the best during the next chapter of her life.

Davidson’s is thrilled to be celebrating our 85th anniversary. We are extremely proud to continue to be a staple in the Glebe and greater Ottawa community. We look forward to creating many more memories with our clients.