About us

Humble Beginnings...

Silver Cove originated as a hobby in 2004. The couple met at a Farmer's Market, manning separate booths for extra spending money. The attraction was instant, and their shared entrepreneurial spirit gave them a 'hobby that helped to pay the bills'. They loved sharing their passion and experiencing the adventure that comes with setting up at various shows.

Continuing The Journey

Chris and Melissa took Silver Cove professional in 2007 as a mobile store. In 2008 the couple got so many requests for a permanent location, they began their search for a home. In May 2009 their dream became a reality with the opening of their Lacombe location. Expansions in 2011 and 2013 resulting in a beautiful 4500 square foot location. In the summer of 2014, Silver Cove opened their second permanent storefront in Red Deer to great fanfare. Following Red Deer was Edmonton, then Calgary in May of 2018. But that wasn't the end of the couples plans. Moving onwards and upwards, Silver Cove's headquarters location was opened in September of 2018 in Red Deer, which is currently Western Canada's largest Gem & Mineral store of it's kind! Sadly, the Lacombe location was officially closed around the same time.

Traversing Canada

CanGems is the events division of Silver Cove and was founded in 2007 out of the couples basement. Through this avenue the couple started the Rock N' Gem Show, a rock and mineral trade show that travels yearly across Canada. With shows in British Columba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario and more to come, the Rock N' Gem Shows have helped the couple bring their love of rocks and gemstones across the country.

Personal History

Melissa has always had a love of stones and a creative mind, and embraced the opportunity to combine her creative side with her degree in Business. Her love of marketing and management allowed the need for rock and mineral trade shows in Western Canada to flourish. Today, she loves the chance to search for the gems on their travels while also taking care of the marketing aspect of the company.

Chris was raised in the jewelry trade, cutting his first high grade gemstones when he was still in his teens. He loves the challenge of working with a huge variety of stones; compensating for various hardness’s and cleavage in the individual stones. Chris's self taught geology knowledge and love of customer service makes him an irreplaceable partner in Silver Cove. You will inevitably find him in some aspect of the business every day, serving customers in one of the stores, cutting and polishing stones, or out on a dig site.