David started in the jewellery business in Hamilton in 1971 at the tender age of 11. He studied under the tutelage of Jim Sansone, a Master Goldsmith and owner of Bellsan Jewellers. In the early years, David spent his time cleaning the shop and assisting Jim as best as an 11 year old could. By the age of 14, David realized his passion for jewellery design. Jim’s desire to teach led to David handcrafting gold jewellery at 16 years of age. David had the desire and dream to own his own jewellery design and repair shop, although at this young age, he wasn’t sure how.

David's dream came true in 1982 when he moved to Calgary and opened Blackburn Jewellers. He began doing custom work and repairs for the jewellery trade, 10 stores in all, while studying the Diamond Grading courses with GIA, the Gemology Institute of America. This was an added asset to his jewellery design business. By 1986, David’s love of talking with his own clients and creating designs as well as doing repairs took a front seat and he eliminated doing contract work for other jewellery stores.

David’s business, Blackburn Jewellers, is an office and design studio built onto his private residence in northwest Calgary. To accommodate client’s busy schedules, he books appointments days, evenings and Saturdays to collaborate with them directly.

David's decision to maintain a personal and relaxed atmosphere with clients without interruptions has been very successful. His philosophy is, “If the client takes the time to see me, I will give them my full attention.” He realizes that his clients’ time is as valuable as his.

Many clients come to David with questions about jewellery. These include the 4 c's of diamonds; colour, clarity, cut and carat weight, the different karats of gold, why they wear differently, and the advantages and disadvantages of using platinum. David takes great pride in educating his clients so they can make an informed decision about their purchase.

All of David's diamonds and other gemstones come with documents appraised by GIA certified appraisers located in Calgary. This is very important today considering the misrepresentation of natural diamonds and man-made stones that can and does occur. David thoroughly checks his diamonds before adding to his inventory.

David is proud to carry Canadian diamonds in his inventory supporting Canada as the third largest diamond supplier in the world.