Ryrie

Title

Ryrie
Ryrie, Birks Ltd.
Birks, Ellis and Ryrie Ltd.
Birks

Type

Company

Coverage

Toronto, ON
Montreal, QC

Begin Date

1879-01-01

Active Until

Ongoing

Location

113 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON (1879)
118 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON (1890)
132-138 Yonge St., Toronto, ON (1905)

Product Areas

Jewellery
Clocks

Activities

Manufacturing
Repairing

Timeline

- 1879 – James Ryrie, who had been apprenticed previously in the same location with Segworth & Co., takes over the store at 113 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON. The store is named, “Ryrie the Jeweller” (“And Still We Grew…”)

- 1883 – Harry Ryrie, James’ son, is listed as “watchmaker, employed by James Ryrie with rooms at Suffolk Place.” William Ryrie, the other son, is also there. (“And Still We Grew…”)

- 1890 – Store moves to 118 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON (“And Still We Grew…”)

- 1904 – Ryrie combines with Montreal jewellery company Birks. (“And Still We Grew…”)

- 1905 – Moves to giant premises on Yonge and Temperence at 132-138 Yonge St., Toronto, ON, called “Diamond Hall”. (“And Still We Grew…”)

- 1913 – University of Toronto Department of Physics buys items from Ryrie’s or pays them to make repairs. (Satterly Ledger, Purchases 1912-13)

- 1921, May – Ryrie’s employed to mend stopwatches by the University of Toronto Department of Physics. Invoice reads: “We find on examination of the Stop Watch you sent to us for report, that the following repairs are necessary: Balance jewel, repair balance staff and polish pivots, repair fly back which operates the split second and, and cleaning.” (Satterly Ledger, May 1921)

- 1924 – Name changed to “Ryrie, Birks Limited” (“And Still We Grew…”)

- 1933 – Amalgamation of “Birks, Ellis and Ryrie Limited”. (“And Still We Grew…”)

- 2024 - Active as Birks.

Sources

Burstyn, Dorothea “And Still We Grew…” Silver Society of Canada (http://www.silversocietyofcanada.ca/sites/default/files/Ryrie.pdf)

Satterly, John. Purchase Ledger. University of Toronto Archives (uncatalogued): 74–76

Position: 598 (2 views)