About Magpie

Our Philosophy

We take pride and care in selecting only the finest jewellery from designers across Canada and the world and in bringing them together in unique displays that entice and inspire. We select hand-crafted pieces made with exceptional craftsmanship and the highest quality materials including sterling silver, gold, platinum and stainless steel.

We've created shops that reflect the way we would want to shop, with the aim of being accessible to variety of lifestyles, budgets and tastes. By keeping our outlook simple and staying true to what makes sense to us, we've created a fresh and inspiring alternative to large-scale chain jewellery stores. We are continuously striving to exceed our customer's needs, including expanding our selection of wedding and engagement bands and focusing on our beautiful and unique custom work.

We try to keep our philosophy simple - everyday, we do our best to act in a way we believe is responsible to each other, our customers and our community. Throughout our growth, we have kept in mind our early beginnings. We believe in the beauty and individuality of adornment, and in meeting the individual needs of our customers.

But we haven't forgotten that sometimes we all just need something sparkly and fun to brighten up our day!

In addition to providing exceptional service to our customers, it is also important to us to give back to the environment and invest building a strong community. We do this through regular donations to schools and social programs, and through monthly donations to the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

History of Magpie

A graduate of the GIA Santa Monica California, Martin Wright obtained his Gemology Diploma in 1986. After returning to his hometown Ottawa in 1991, he opened his first store in the storefront of a drycleaners on Dalhousie St., and although it was humble, it was more than enough to fuel Martin's fascination with the jewellery trade, the beauty of jewellery, and individual interpretation of adornment. Thanks to a loyal and diverse following, the shop grew, and by 1993 Magpie Jewellery was reborn in Ottawa's Rideau Centre. With the smashing success of Magpie at the Rideau location, in 2003 we opened up a boutique in the heart of the Glebe at 799 Bank Street.