Stittgen Fine Jewelry is an award-winning custom jeweller renowned for its unique designs and exceptional quality craftsmanship. We pride ourselves in using the finest gemstones and time-honoured techniques to create works of art that tell your unique story. We are called upon to commemorate happy occasions like engagements and anniversaries, and we make lifelong friends in the process. Our discerning clients value the quality achieved by our Master Goldsmiths that far exceed that of mass-produced jewellery, even from international prestige brands.
Our numerous awards include Canadian Jeweller’s Excellence in Design Award, Designer of the Year Award Finalist and West Vancouver Small Business of the Year. But most importantly, we value the testimonials that our clients provide spontaneously to express how happy they are.
We are located in the scenic waterfront community of Ambleside in West Vancouver. We are a full-service jeweller, featuring on-site Master Goldsmiths and gemologists that can also provide repairs, appraisals and cleaning services.
Question: How are you supporting other local businesses?
Answer: We take pride in designing and handcrafting our jewelry right here in West Vancouver. This extends beyond our workshop into our local community. Our talented offsite goldsmiths and diamond setters are also located on the North Shore, as are most of our employees. We use so many local suppliers for our services – 92% of our service purchasing is local. We use a local credit union, Vancity, and our accountant and IT service provider are also on the North Shore. We support our local newspapers, the North Shore News and the Vancouver Sun, as well as magazines such as Vancouver Magazine and Western Living. We also use raw materials to handcraft our jewelry – 80% of the materials come from right here in B.C., and another 10% come from elsewhere in Canada.
In addition, we support local arts such as the Harmony Arts Festival, and local schools with their fundraising. Of course, we love our local restaurants not just for our own lunches, but also for our annual Christmas parties and client/supplier dinners.
Question: What social and environmental practices are you proud of?
Answer: By handcrafting our products within our community (either onsite on in nearby workshops) we minimize the transportation of goods as they go through the various steps from raw materials to finished jewelry. Our workshop is a zero-waste facility as we recycle all the materials used. Since we employ hand tools (rather than large machinery used in mass production of jewelry) our processes produce no emissions. We also source conflict-free gemstones, and most of our diamonds come from the Canadian north.
Beyond the production side of things, we also espouse a philosophy of longevity which is embodied in our company logo, the ginkgo leaf. We make things that essentially last forever in two ways. First, our unmatched quality ensures durability that lasts for generations. Second, if you want to change the design because of changing tastes or circumstances, we can remake the item into a new piece of jewelry by reusing the stones and recycling the gold using a refining process. In a society highly reliant on disposable goods, we stand out for providing something of value that never gets thrown out.
At a social or personal level, our work environment is very congenial where everyone is treated like family. All employees receive a spending account through a Personal Health Services Plan. Our sales are commission-free so everyone focuses on the client exclusively. This is good not just for the client, but also for the staff that works together as one team.
We support many community causes. Our founder, Selina Ladak is a board member of the Lions Gate Hospital and the North Shore Hospice & Palliative Project. We have designed a “butterfly” pendant to honour the life of a dearly departed, and partial proceeds from each sale go to the North Shore Hospice.
