Camerons Jewellery

Cameron's Jewellery Ltd. was established in 1922. From that time Cameron's has maintained a high quality of service and tradition synonymous with the motto 'A Name You Can Trust'. Cameron's has taken pride in bringing its customers quality products at reasonable prices.  Cameron's reputation for quality products and service has been firmly established with its service to the students and alumni of St. Francis Xavier University. Working with the class of 1942, Cameron's Jewellery designed the present X-Rings, a gold ring featuring a black enamel X within a raised gold square, with the date of graduation flanking the X on its shoulders.  Unlike other rings, Cameron's X-Rings are hand-painted with an enamel mixture consisting of glass mixed with powdered metals and fired in ovens at 1350 degrees Fahrenheit. The enamel mixture then melts and adheres to the gold, resulting in a long-lasting finish.

Cameron's Jewellery on Main Street, one of the best-known jewellery watch repair and giftware businesses in eastern Nova Scotia, owes its reputation very largely to a gifted and determined businesswoman Zina Cameron. The business which serves Antigonish, Guysborough, Inverness and parts of Richmond counties, originally opened its doors in 1922. The proprietor then was Fred Monahan of North Sydney and the site of the store was the former location of Zinck’s Taxi, approximately where the new library is now on The Main.  Zina Cameron joined the staff in 1926 and shortly afterward took temporary leave of absence to study watchmaking and jewellery repair at the Bowman Technical School in Lancanster, Pennsylvania. Another staff member in those early days was Bill Tramble, who later left to setup his own watchmaking and optical business.  Miss Cameron returned to Antigonish to work alongside the proprietor, Mr. Monahan, until the latter’s death, when she purchased the business from his estate and changed its name to Cameron’s. At about the same time, she acquired her general jeweller’s diploma from the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto.  As the business continued to grow, Miss Cameron relocated the store to the corner of Main and College streets where the business prospered. She added to the staff, two Second World War veterans, Joe MacPherson, a graduate of the Ryerson Institute, and Cyril Hawley, a graduate of the MacKay School of Watch Repair in Moncton. Miss Cameron’s able team continued for many years until her retirement when she sold the business, along with her respected Cameron name, to her two colleagues.  Under the management of Mr. MacPherson and Mr. Hawley, the business moved from Main Street to College Street in the mid 1960s. When Joe MacPherson died suddenly while attending a Legion convention in Truro in 1969, Mr. Hawley became president of the company, and continued to manage the store until his death in May 1976.   The business was then passed on to his widow, Mrs. Aloma Hawley, who was joined by her daughter, Brenda Hawley, who followed in her father’s footsteps, graduating from George Brown College in 1978, with her diploma in watchmaking.   The store underwent another change of venue in 1981, returning to Main Street where it remains today. Mrs. Hawley continued to run the business for a total of 33 years, until her death in October of 2009. In its 90th year, Cameron’s underwent yet another revitalization, a complete renovation and entirely new updated inventory.   Cameron’s Jewellery is still owned by the Hawley family and “We are proud of the reputation the business has earned over the years. “