Danforth Jewellers

When Jim Pappas opened Danforth Jewellers in 2013, it was an easy choice – his father was a gem wholesaler so he'd been around jewellery all his life. “As a kid growing up, I loved the sparkly diamonds, and the intensity and vivid colours of sapphires, rubies and emeralds,” he confesses. “Once I saw the precious gems I fell in love with them.”

Later, Jim joined his parents John and Christina in running a watch and jewellery store a block west of where his store stands today. He learned a lot growing up in the family business. “My dad was always looking for cleaner, higher quality diamonds and better cuts,” says Jim. “He wasn’t the kind of person who would buy something just for the sake of profit. He wanted to sell better quality goods.”

Jim supplemented his apprenticeship in the family business with formal education, completing the gemology course at George Brown College in 2002. “It really brought up my knowledge of not only gems but also metallurgy and different alloys,” Jim explains. “I am like a university grad of gemstones.”