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Introverted and shy, I was one of those unfortunate children who believed I didn’t need friends and thought that companionship could be found at the bottom of the garden from a flock of feathery fowls. A true country bumpkin, growing up in the idyllic Leicestershire countryside, my childhood was surrounded by fields, mud and plenty of animals, with wonderful memories of raising baby rabbits, collecting freshly laid eggs after school, twitching for birds of prey in hedge rows and chasing cows with my dog Alfie, a majestic wire-haired pointer.
Village life, whilst tranquil and generally carefree does have its limits. Following a conversation with the local drunkard about my future I decided the time had come to fly the nest. The first major step in my life was moving to London at 17, trading the rolling countryside for the hustle and bustle of city living. It’s also fair to say, by this point, I managed to make a friend, only the one. Inseparable, we found some digs and started getting to grips with London life. Somehow, I was awarded a scholarship for a degree in Fine Art, at the world-renowned Goldsmiths college.
Three painful years later, I found my calling … antique jewellery! My journey into the world of antique jewellery started at one of London’s most iconic department stores; Liberty of London with a fortunate stroke of serendipity I found myself there the day after my 19th birthday. I was window gazing on Chelsea’s Pimlico Road, reflecting on the ravishing contents of one of the galleries, when I suddenly realised I was sharing this experience with a then-perfect stranger and before I knew it, I had my first job. It was a truly incredible experience, sourcing and selling the rare and unique in a stimulating environment. As a natural compulsive buyer, it was heaven – and almost didn’t feel like work. At the same time, I was feverishly spending all my salary on old gemstones and miscatalogues items of vintage jewellery, fuelling and refining my passion, as I slowly began to develop a particular interest in the unique world of Antique & Vintage Rings.
Fast forward a few years, my passions for antique rings continuing, I had also started working at Harvey Nichols and I found myself becoming constrained by the limits of working for another company. My buying habits soon became an obsession (and slightly out of control), nothing else occupied my thoughts but the desire to expand my ever-growing collection of rings and gemstones. It was then I decided to go it alone, launching The Antique Ring Boutique in 2019.
The company was founded on a passion for craftsmanship and exceptional gemstones, along with providing exceptional service to our customers. We (now a team of two!) painstakingly acquire every piece; selected for its quality, individuality, rarity and ability to capture the zeitgeist of its era. Now, at the mercy of pigeon blood rubies, old mine diamonds, and the sublime palette of lightning ridge opals, I’ve found myself on an incessant global treasure hunt searching the world to find the hidden gems of a bygone era. 