Catherine Fiabane
Becoming a goldsmith is a career change for Catherine Fiabane, who formerly worked as a stage manager in the theatre. After the birth of her daughter, she realised that it would be impossible to balance the unsocial working hours with family time. Catherine’s favourite part of her job had been making props, and she knew that she wanted to continue being creative and work in the arts.
As a child Catherine loved gemstones, collecting little boxes of tumbled stones from gift shops as souvenirs on holidays and wrapping them up in copper wire, scavenged from her DIY enthusiast father, to make gifts for friends. In changing career, Catherine revisited this love, and took a risk – going back to college, resigning from her job, and setting up the brand - The Lane Fine Jewellery.
Catherine Fiabane’s Hedgerow Collection is inspired by a walk that she frequently takes up the hill behind her home in the Scottish Highlands. The incline is steep, and it forces her to walk slowly, taking in the tiny details that she would otherwise miss. The Blackthorn hedges are full of wildflowers and Catherine is drawn to their ability to thrive and bring beauty in the inhospitable conditions. The bubbling background texture of her jewellery takes inspiration from the frothy, lacey flowers of cow parsley that dance in the wind. Each design, and the colour palate of the gemstones Catherine chooses, celebrates her favourite plants – the sloe, wild rose and bramble – prickly, with beautiful flowers and tasty fruit if you pay the price of the occasional scratch.