Becoming a goldsmith was a career change for me, having spent decades working as a Stage Manager in the West End. After the birth of my daughter I realised that it would be impossible to balance the unsocial working hours of theatre with family time, and during Covid attended the British Academy of Jewellery to retrain as a Goldsmith.
As a child I loved gemstones, collecting little boxes of tumbled stones from gift shops on holidays and wrapping them up in copper wire, scavenged from my DIY enthusiast father, to make gifts for school-friends. In changing career I revisited this love, launched my brand -The Lane Fine Jewellery.
My collection ‘Hedgerow’ is inspired by the flora that grows up the hill behind my Highland home. The incline is steep, and it forces me to walk slowly, taking in the tiny details that I would otherwise miss. The Blackthorn hedges are full of wildflowers, brambles and berries, and I’m drawn to their ability to thrive and bring beauty despite the inhospitable conditions. The bubbling background texture of my jewellery takes inspiration from the frothy, lacy flowers of cow parsley that dance in the wind, and my colour palates reference the sloe, wild rose and bramble alongside the blue sky above.
