Shimmer Jewellery has it’s roots as far back as 1979 when owner Ed Pickard took a sales job with an established Victoria jewellery store. In what amounted to a decade-long apprenticeship, he first learned many valuable aspects of business including banking, bookkeeping, and payroll, and gleaned valuable teaching from the onsite gemmologist about diamonds and gemstones. At the same time, he was greatly intrigued by what could be done with precious metals, heat, and solder at the goldsmith's bench. Ed soon began repairing and altering gold and silver items, and over the course of that 10-year period with the same employer, learned from qualified repair people and jewellery makers, and also took an evening course in diamond setting, which taught him how to set diamonds and precious gems in a variety of styles in gold and silver. In 1987 he set up another bench at home and began contract stone-setting for other jewellers in his off-time.

When his employer announced retirement in 1989, Ed was offered several positions with other Victoria jewellers, but chose instead to partner with  his wife to open up their own business. So, in late 1989, Ed and Julia Diana found a small office space in downtown Victoria and opened what was then a wholesale jewellery repair shop named Jewel Renew Services, offering repairs and setting to the trade. 

In 1992 they hired their first employee, then 6 months later in July 1993, relocated to the current expanded premises in the Yarrow Building, and more staff was hired to handle the large volume of work that was coming in from numerous stores in Victoria, up-island, and other provinces. In January of 1998 the name of the business was changed to Shimmer Design Studio, reflecting the evolution of the business from wholesale repairs to retail sales, design, and service. Most of the wholesale trade work was suspended over the next few years to make time for serving the retail business that was growing rapidly from word-of-mouth, providing the much more rewarding experience of being able to talk directly with the owners of the jewellery being made or repaired.

The business name was then refined in 2006 to Shimmer Jewellery.