Antique Sterling Silver Etched Floral Motif Powder Compact With Mirror By Birks (Approximately 2 Ounces)

This beautiful compact weighs approximately 2 ounces or 57 grams, including the attached mirror.

The Birks Group (formerly Birks & Mayors) is a designer, manufacturer and retailer of jewelry, timepieces, silverware and gifts, with stores and manufacturing facilities located in Canada and the United States. The Group was created in November 2005 through the merger of Henry Birks and Sons Ltd. (Canada) and Mayors Jewelers Inc. (United States). The company is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, with American corporate offices located in Tamarac, Florida.

Birks Group traces its origins to the opening by Henry Birks of a small jewelry shop in Montreal in 1879.
With an investment of $3,000 (Canadian money), Henry Birks opened a small jewelry shop in 1879 on Saint James Street in the heart of Montreal's financial and commercial district. In 1893, Birks entered into a partnership with his three sons (William, John, and Gerald), and the name of the firm became Henry Birks and Sons. As the focus of Montreal's commercial center moved northward towards Saint Catherine Street, the Birks store moved to new premises on Phillips Square in 1894, where the company still maintains a store and corporate offices.

Starting in 1901, Birks oversaw the expansion of the company across Canada, with stores opening in the country's largest cities. In some cases, it bought local jewelers, adding its name to the local one (the Birks store in Toronto was Birks-Ryrie and the one in Winnipeg was Birks-Dingwall). The store on Phillips Square in Montreal opened in 1907.

In 1934, Birks received a Royal Warrant of Appointment. In December 1934, Birks opened its first store in Vancouver. In 1954, the first Canadian shopping center opened in Dorval, and Birks was the first to open a jewelry store within a shopping center.

In 1953, Henry Birks and Sons bought out Roden Bros. Ltd., a company that produced silver hollowware, flatware, cut crystal, and medals.

In 1955, the company successfully sued the City of Montreal before the Supreme Court of Canada for forcing it to close on Catholic holidays, in Henry Birks & Sons (Montreal) Ltd versus the City of Montreal.

In 1993 Jonathan Birks sold the company to Italy-based Iniziativa Regaluxe SrL. The Birks Group is now publicly traded under the ticker symbol BGI. In 2001, the company completely renovated its flagship store on Phillips Square in Montreal.

In November 2005, Henry Birks and Sons Ltd. and the American Mayors Jewelers Inc. merged to create the Birks & Mayors Group.

In 2007, Birks was named as the official supplier of jewelry for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The Ottawa store on Sparks Street became a source of gifts to official parliamentary visitors during its existence. The freestyle skier Jennifer Heil was a spokeswoman for the company.

In 2013, the group changed its name from Birks & Mayors to the Birks Group.

In 2015, Birks caused some controversy after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's wife, Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau, wore a number of their pieces to meet the Queen Elizabeth II. One of jewels was a maple leaf brooch that Birks had loaned to her. Since this brooch was worth $7,125, it raised questions regarding the ethics of such a loan.

The Birks Group sold the Mayors chain (founded in 1910 in Ohio) to Aurum in 2017. As part of the agreement between Birks and Aurum, the Birks Brand collections of fine jewelry will continue to be offered in 16 locations in the United States through the Mayors network. This transaction allowed the company to develop internationally, starting with the United Kingdom in October of 2017.

A month after it launched in the United Kingdom, Birks made headlines when Meghan Markle wore a pair of 18K yellow gold and opal earrings for her official engagement announcement to Prince Harry. This publicity increased the demand for the brand on digital stores and some inventories sold out. Meghan Markle supposedly holds Birks among her favorite jewelry brands, as she purchased at least seven Birks pieces for approximately $20,000.

Maison Birks is a designer, manufacturer and retailer of jewelry, timepieces, silverware and gifts, with stores and manufacturing facilities located in Canada and the United States. As of October 2017, it operates stores under two different retail banners: 28 Maison Birks stores across Canada (formerly Birks) and 2 Brinkhaus stores in Vancouver and Calgary. Maison Birks has six flagship stores in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. The company also operates one Rolex-branded store in Orlando.

The company has acquired many awards throughout the years, such as the Diamond International Award (1998), Nature's Miracle Award for diamonds (2004), and World Branding Awards (2018).

There is a Birks Family fonds at the federal institution Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa. The archival reference number is R1481.




In general, all items may or may not have been damaged by water, smoke, mold, insects, mishandling, animal chewing, cracks, nicks, dings, dents, rips, marks, stains, divots, waviness, creases, scratches, etc.

***Please look at the attached photos for size and condition. Photos are part of the description representing the condition report and can be used for authentication prior to the sale date. We urge bidder's to view all attached photos in detail. All items are sold "AS IS". Thank you for your interest and good luck bidding.

Notes: Please inspect all photos carefully before bidding. Thank you for your interest and good luck bidding.

Consistent with age and use.

18%

Mike Marsullo | (860) 997-3332 | fil14fy@gmail.com

Pickup Details

Private Residence

Torrington, CT 06790

When to Pickup

Saturday, 8/13, 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm

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