My name is Jeremy Hoye
I had always wanted to start my own jewellery brand and the plan was to open in Brighton. The city has a welcoming feel to it. I moved here 25 years go after running my own workshop in Wimbledon, where I had been making and designing for other jewelley shops. I had been working on my own style in individual pieces. I had a very simple plan which was to introduce my own jewellery as well as other new young designers. When we took the shop in Ship Street, which we chose for its look. Being Victorian it had very tall ceilings and large ornate window. I had seen many shops in London, and Los Angeles that had inspired me. When we opened, it was completely different to other jewellers in the town with their jewellery displayed in the windows on pads. It took as 2-3 years before it really took off. What really did it for me was new progressive designs and national advertising in Marie Claire and Vogue.
The store had many different looks over the years. Ever evolving. We also started to sell my designs to other store as well as Virgin Airlines. I was also lucky enough to be approached and work with other brands such as Diesel, Porsche, Jaeger and BMG Records.
After the success of the Brighton store we went on open a store in Soho, London. This really put my name on the map.
The main part of my business has always been progression on the jewellery design for men and women. I like to jump from one style to another and through these we progressed to just selling all my own designs. Working in Platinum , Gold and Silver makes my jewellery very accessible.
My business has changed a lot over the years, from being a big company employing 25 staff to bringing in an investor to grow the brand. That was the biggest mistake of my life and the reason why I decided to relaunch as House of Hoye. The idea was to go back to the ethos I started with which is about designing bespoke pieces for like minded customers.
I now have a studio in the North Lanes open Monday to Friday, where you can book an appointment. This gives much more time for me to sit down with customers and sketch out designs to suit their needs. I also have more time to design and make new pieces which we show on social media daily.
Through the House of Hoye website we now sell all over the world. This is updated regularly with new products. A lot of my early work have become design classics and I get requests from customers who had seen certain pieces years ago and can now afford them, so want to get them. For example, the customer might have the Carved Diamond solitaire and want the matching Diamond Eternity to go with it. I will then make it to fit and match and then refinish the original ring.
Another service I offer is the remaking and redesigning of old jewellery, whether it is an inherited ring or a piece of jewellery you have had for years and it just doesn’t suit you. This can take many forms from old rings to a broken chain – everything can be recycled. You can also use the old stones. The art is to design a piece of jewellery that suits the customer and does not look like it has been made from something else.
One of the latest things I have been working on is Signet rings. I have a particular interest in signet ring history and what they can stand for. Originally they would have a family crest on them and a reverse engraving to wax seal letters. Over the years they have become a gift that you would give on a special birthday, such as an 18th, 21st or any milestone. These are for men and women in gold, silver or platinum. Very much a bonding special piece alongside wedding and engagement rings. I have created some new designs to complement original collections, such as Luna, Chequered and slash. I was honoured recently to design and make a platinum signet to hold a lock of hair from a deceased loved one. The top was sealed and only the wearer knew it was there.
Wedding and engagement rings are still a large part of my work. Customers come to me because they like my style. If you are looking for something unique and personal to suit you or your future partner, that is what I do best. I try to design to suit the person’s lifestyle and personality . My wedding and engagement rings start from £500 , but I can work to suit your budget. A lot of customers over spend on the wedding and don’t leave much for the rings. You must remember you will have the rings for the rest of your life so they’re not to be scrimped on and take careful thought. You also need to leave plenty of time to order and get them made. Some of my designs take 8-10 weeks.
I have also been working on and building my mens only brand of Hoyedivision www.Hoyedivision.com. This has been a project of mine crossing over into my hobbies of car and motorbike culture. I have taken ideas from some of the main stay traditional men spices of jewellery such as the snake and skull rings as well as signet rings. My most resent designs have been coin rings. I use old British coins as well as American coins. I have also been using American Hobo coins in these rings. These are coins that have been re-engraved to personalise them, changing for example Jefferson’s face to a skull. Each one is unique.
I feel that we made the right decision to move with the times and go from having a retail store, to going online and by appointment. The face of shopping has changed as well as the high street. I see the future of independents and crafts people on the web where we can service the needs of customers that want something original and not mass produced. It’s about going back to making jewellery that becomes something special in your life that can be handed down.
You can email for an enquiry or book an appointment at info@houseofhoye.com
House of Hoye of is open 10-6 Monday to Friday. 4 St Georges Place, Brighton, BN1 4GA