Hamilton Jewellers

With a loupe around his neck and a vintage Russian microscope at hand, Robert Keleti is solicitous in offering advice to his customers in his shop, Hamilton Jewellers. His parents first opened the shop in 1938, though they had established a jewelry store in another part of Hamilton in the early 1930s before moving to James Street.

"My dad was an expert in watches. He learned the trade in Canada, whereas my mom was a natural at selling jewelry," Robert reminisces of the days when the family sold jewelry door-to-door. Born and raised in the building that houses the store, Robert participated in the business from his teens, purchasing jewelry, assisting with customers and even helping his parents as they aged. It was his immersion in the jewelry business since his youth that honed his expertise in repairs and cultivated his knowledge in 10, 14 and 18 karat gold and white gold Italian-made jewelry.

"I expected that I would be involved in jewelry, but I ventured into photography instead," Robert explains of his penchant for cultivating his creativity through the camera. When his mother retired in 2000, Robert assumed the business, compelled to pay homage to the longevity of Hamilton's oldest family-run jewelry store.