Uta Reilly
Uta Reilly had a business degree when she arrived in Dawson in 1979. She was looking for an opportunity to start a business and started working for Amy Bennett behind the counter at the Klondike Nugget and Ivory Shop. She learned Klondike gold-mining practices and the jewellery business and was soon back in school learning the art of goldsmithing. Within a year, she was creating her own jewellery. She spent the next few years behind the bench and then had the opportunity to buy the business from Amy Bennett in 1988. Uta eventually spent less time creating jewellery and more time teaching her trade and coming up with new designs. Many of her new designs feature raw gold, ivory and Canadian diamonds.1)
The Nugget and Ivory Shop won the Yukon Chamber of Commerce' Business of the year Award in 1994 and 2004.2) The City of Dawson named August 12, 2023 Uta Reilly Day to honour her devotion and service to the community. She has provided the local radio station, CFYT, an affordable home for many years and has shown an unrelenting commitment to the Dawson City Museum and other local nonprofit organizations. Uta ran the Klondike Nugget & Ivory shop for over 45 years beginning in 1978. Her daughter and son-in-law, Sandy and Greg Kehoe, took over the management when she became ill.3)