Ian Douglas - The Inspired Collective

The idea for Inspired came from frustration. Frustration that after 30 years involved in the jewellery industry I was becoming increasingly unhappy with its direction. It seemed that price was becoming the primary factor in the design and production of jewellery, particularly diamond jewellery design.

I began an apprenticeship in manufacturing jewellery in 1974 at the age of 17 for one simple reason, that I loved making things and in particular designing and manufacturing. Crafting jewellery gave me a great satisfaction and pleasure, seeing items I had created in my mind and then executed by my own hands and finally finding a passionate owner, was one of the most satisfying feelings in the world.

To my mind the jewellery industry had forgotten why people buy jewellery. People should be moved by jewellery, be inspired, fall in love with an object that speaks to them and evokes feelings of desire and pleasure.

It seemed as an industry it had become more about cost of an item of jewellery, not what it actually was. For all those reasons I was determined to create a range of jewellery that was faithful to what jewellery should be; items that inspire the soul, not simply have a price tag.

For that reason “Inspired” was born.

I wanted a range of jewellery that went back to basics, that spoke to people about design, quality of materials and craftsmanship, jewellery that created a desire to possess based on passion, not dollars.

I stepped back from the common mindset of how to make jewellery and put all convention aside.

I went back to basics.

I imagined a hand, naked except for a loose diamond floating upon it. The challenge then was how to connect the two, throw away the conventional and dream of art that formed a connection of the diamond to the hand.

“The Inspired Collection” was born.

I hope you love them as much as I do.

Current Trends

Expanding use of technology today means many companies rely upon CAD (Computer Aided Design) to create their styles. As a result many jewellery designs look very similar, no matter where in the world they originate.

Ian and the team look to the diamond for inspiration for their hand drawn designs. These fresh innovative designs reveal the finest characteristics of a diamond and this is why they appeal to the discerning jewellery lover.

We always start with an idea, carefully hand draw the design and finally refine this with the latest technologies and techniques. We aim for our jewellery to follow simple rules:

• The rings must be aesthetically balanced and fit the finger – “Take a diamond and a finger then connect the two”
• The designs must promote the diamonds and allow the wearer to see the diamond from all angles
• They must be wearable – we want you to be able to wear the rings everyday and enjoy them
• They must be made with the finest quality materials
• The jewellery must be timeless