Every Piece Tells a Story. Let’s Start Yours…

Jewellery is personal. What you like, how much you like to wear, what colour gold, what stones…these are all choices that you make, and they tell a little story about you. Where the piece came from and what it means to you is another part of that story. These are the reasons Sophie Flanagan Fine Jewellery was created. Here, Sophie shares her story.

In the beginning…

I have had a mild obsession with jewellery and gemstones since I was a little girl and used to try on my mother’s jewellery. The sparkle, the shine, the weight…it all mesmerised me and I would turn each piece over in my hands looking at them.  Earrings, rings, necklaces, brooches and bracelets used to keep me enthralled for hours. But the part I loved with the jewellery, were the stories my parents would tell me about each one. Where that brooch came from, how long that necklace had been in the family, where my father had hidden that ring in a rolled-up carpet for safekeeping…it felt like every piece told a story. I only properly appreciated this years later when my sister and I commissioned a necklace for my mother commemorating my father. That necklace, as it gets handed down through the generations, will tell its own story. So how did this transpire into Sophie Flanagan Fine Jewellery?

The Realisation

Although I had always liked jewellery, I didn’t necessarily know lots about it. In 2011 I took a Gem Introduction course, and it inspired me to know more about gems and understand more about jewellery. In 2016, I took the Gem-A Gem Level 2 Gem Basics course and took my knowledge a little further. Around this time, I had taken to designing pieces but also buying loose gemstones and then having them set. The ‘Diamond Daisy’ is a copy of a family heirloom piece, and the ‘Marquise 20s’ was a tanzanite gifted to me by my husband. I would be wearing the jewellery and people started to ask me questions about them and I found myself telling the stories behind each piece and not just ‘where I had bought it’. This evolved into me buying ready-to-wear pieces as well as having items made for other people. I had become a consultant private jeweller and not even realised! 

Knowledge is Power

In 2022, I decided to undertake the GIA Applied Jewellery Professional as I knew that I wanted to turn my passion in to a full time career. I had been working in Sales and Digital Marketing for several years and this felt like the natural time to make the move. I very much enjoy working with people and being able to deliver something so special, whether an engagement ring, anniversary earrings or an eternity ring, and seeing the delight on their faces, is a tremendously satisfying experience. 

The Story Continues

Whether it’s a commissioned piece of jewellery, an heirloom reimagined, delivering a ready-to-wear piece or consulting on a purchase, helping people with gems and jewellery is an immense privilege and something I relish doing. Sophie Flanagan Fine Jewellery allows me to do what I love and start stories for other people to tell about their jewellery. Get in touch, I’d love to chat through how we can start your story.