147 Years of Birks, A New Dare to Dream

There is a particular art to wearing jewellery with a past. For nearly a century and a half, the Canadian house Birks has understood that the most compelling pieces are not merely decorative; they are tactile archives, objects that keep a life’s private history close to the skin.

Now the maison is drawing that 150-year goldsmithing legacy into the present. Montreal-born actress Sophie Nélisse, known internationally for Yellowjackets and Heated Rivalry, has been named its newest brand ambassador.

For Nélisse, the partnership is a homecoming. “Growing up, Birks was always one of those names that felt timeless. So now being part of their story feels incredibly meaningful,” she says. 

That feeling is what the campaign is built around, distilled in the house motto Every Jewel Holds a Story

“Since 1879, Birks has been part of Canadians’ most meaningful moments,” says Katie Reusch, Birks’ head of marketing. “Long after those moments have passed, jewellery becomes something more than what we wear. It becomes a reminder of the people we love, the milestones we’ve celebrated and the stories we carry forward.”

Shot in a series of intimate, closely lit vignettes, Nélisse brings an unforced warmth to the work. She belongs to a generation rewriting luxury’s terms: younger tastemakers who honour tradition without treating it as a relic.

“She represents a new generation of Canadians who have grown up with the brand and are now creating stories of their own,” Reusch adds. “We are incredibly proud to welcome Sophie to Birks.”

The campaign opens on the newest additions to Dare to Dream, a modern reinterpretation of the house’s design codes: mixed-metal sterling silver and gold links whose geometry is taken from the architecture of Birks’ first Montreal boutique. Over the coming year the lens will widen to other signatures of the house, among them the ethereal Birks Snowflake and the charmingly intricate Birks Beekeeper collections.

In an era of fleeting digital ephemera, there is something wonderfully defiant about betting an entire campaign on the permanence of precious metals. Birks remains convinced that people still yearn for tangible talismans, objects heavy enough to anchor a memory, and small enough to wear close to the skin.