Original Celtic Jewelry Handmade in Canada - Information About Keltic Nations

Keltic Nations is a family owned and operated business that handcrafts and retails silver and gold jewellery.

Begun in 1996 as a t-shirt vendor at Scottish Highland Games and Celtic Festivals in Ontario, we have evolved into a sophisticated on-line retailer of fine, handcrafted Celtic jewellery. The first Keltic Nations 'original' was sold at the Glengarry Highland Games in August of 2000. We have since made over 2000 rings by hand, in our home workshop and shipped them worldwide. Destinations have included Germany, France, Switzerland, Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, Australia, Japan, Malta, Brazil, and many more. Our base of operations is in Ottawa, Ontario but we are also a worldwide company available via the internet.

Keltic Nations specializes in and features jewellery that bear Celtic designs. Celtic art refers to a specific style of design unique to the ancient Celtic people, whose homelands today are considered to be Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, and the Brittany region of France. Considering the amount of British and European immigration to North America over the last few centuries, there are many modern day Celts on this continent as well as all over the world. Indeed, Statistics Canada numbers over 8 million citizens of Welsh, Irish and Scottish ethnicity in Canada alone.

Greg McPherson has a strong Celtic heritage from both sides of the family. On the paternal side, the McPhersons landed in Pictou County, Nova Scotia on the ship "Sara" in 1801. Some of the clan moved westward and found themselves in the Niagara region of Ontario. In the early 1900's, his great grandmother, born in Edinburgh, landed in Canada with her family. On the maternal side, his great grandfather was an Irishman who moved to Wales. He and his Welsh bride then moved to Canada and settled in Iron Hill in the Eastern Townships, east of Montreal.

Greg's mother was a highland dancer and also taught highland dance. Highland dance was carried on in the family by his older brother which meant that Greg was introduced to the Highland Games circuit at a very young age. In 1974, Greg began bagpipe lessons under the tutelage of Douglas Bruce with the Campbell Highlanders of Ottawa. When the Campbell Highlanders folded in the mid '70s, Greg joined the Sons of Scotland Pipe Band, Camp Argyll #26 under Pipe Major Morag Jamieson. The Sons of Scotland eventually became the Ogilvy's Pipe Band. Greg stuck around for a couple of years but in the early '80s, Nova Scotia was calling. He moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, worked on a sailboat called the "Mar II" for four years and played bagpipes on the docks in Historic Properties. Skipping ahead a number of years... after not being around Highland Games for about 10 years, he decided to bring his future bride, Ingrid, to the Glengarry Highland Games to expose her to one of the top Scottish festivals in North America. This is where the idea of Keltic Nations was born.

Ingrid McPherson, co-owner of Keltic Nations and wife to Greg, brings more than 17 years worth of retail sales experience to the business, and is a veteran educator, motivator, and multi-tasking manager. She has successfully managed Keltic Nations since its inception in 1997. A child of German and Dutch immigrants, Ingrid has happily adopted Celtic culture and meshed it with her own to immerse her children in their wealth of heritage.

Born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario in Canada, Ingrid’s major interest has always been the history and mythology of the Northern European and Celtic people. Books on this theme decorate her living room instead of knick-knacks; ask her a question with regards to her favourite subject and she can (and has been known to) talk for quite a while! Running a business that incorporates the symbolism and art of such an historically rich culture is a perfect, natural fit for her.