The five jewellers
- J.J. Walker1896 to 1923
- John Balfour Gray1923 to 1950
- Howard Butterfield1950 to 1962
- Ted and Greg Allen1962 to 2006
- Justin Pelant2006 to todayCertified gemologist
431 Baker Street, Nelson, British Columbia (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
Five jewellers have kept this shop since 1896.
Fine and custom jewellery, watches, repairs and appraisals on Baker Street in Nelson. The shop has carried the Allen name since 1962.
Open Monday to Saturday, 9 to 5 ·
4.5 on Google (36 reviews) (opens in a new tab)
The work
Pieces from the shop.
A few of the pieces that have come through the shop, including our own custom work. Tap any piece to see it larger.
More on Instagram (opens in a new tab)White gold, with a round natural diamond and floral shoulders set with melee diamonds Custom teal sapphire engagement ring Custom banded ring in rose and white gold, with an emerald-cut teal-blue sapphire Yellow gold engagement ring with a round brilliant-cut Canadian certified diamond Mountain pendant in white gold with Canadian certified diamonds A strand of peacock pearls Pear-shaped citrine pendant in a bezel setting Elongated pear-shaped citrine pendant in white gold, framed in diamonds
In the shop
Bring it to the counter.
An idea for a ring, a family piece to remake, a watch that has stopped: bring it to 431 Baker Street and talk it through at the counter.
Custom design
Your idea drawn up on screen first, with a quote and a timeline before anything is made. The first consultation is free, and your own gold can go into the new piece.
Tell us about the piece.
Send a few details and we’ll write back to set a time for your free consultation at the shop.
Fine jewellery
Rings, pendants, earrings and bracelets, from the case or ordered in for you.
Watches
New watches, and repairs for the one you already wear.
Jewellery repair
Ring sizing, chains and clasps, prongs, stone setting, pearl restringing and polishing.
Appraisals
Written appraisals for insurance and estates, by a certified gemologist.
Giftware
Gifts for weddings, new babies and the people who are hard to buy for.
Some of the makers we work with
Our story
Nelson’s first jewellery store, in the same building since 1896.
431 Baker Street was built around 1890 for F.S. Barnard and J.A. Mara, and it was a bank before it was a jewellery store. When the bank moved out in 1896, J.J. Walker, a watchmaker trained in New York City, came over from Rossland and opened Nelson’s first jewellery store here, filling it with fine pieces and mahogany display cases.
Four more jewellers have kept it since, and none of them ever moved: the shop has stayed at 431 Baker for 130 years. Two of Walker’s round glass and mahogany cases still stand at the front of the store, holding today’s pieces.
As told in “5 Jewellers, 100 Years at 431 Baker Street”, Nelson Daily News, December 6, 1996.
Come and see the cases.
431 Baker Street, Nelson, BC · Open Monday to Saturday, 9 to 5
