Interview with Jane Massie, Director, Designer, and Founder of Jian London, fine jewellery brand
Read our interview with Jane Massie, Director, Designer, and Founder of the fine jewellery brand Jian London.
What’s your career background?
Jewellery has always been one of my greatest joys, second only to my three children. Chocolate ranks third, and my husband jokes that he manages to squeeze in at fourth! At four, I was stringing beans onto makeshift necklaces; by eight, I was secretly raiding my grandmother’s jewellery box for dress-up sessions. Even as an adult, I once held up an entire plane because I was so caught up in the delight of buying a watch (which I happily charged to my husband’s credit card).
My background is in Physics, English and Information Technology. I studied Physics and English at Shanghai University for Science and Technology, followed by a Master’s in IT from Robert Gordon University.
I started handcrafting jewellery in my living room in 2005, purely as a hobby. When people told me they loved my pieces and wanted one of their own, I began selling locally and at jewellery fairs, before officially launching Jian London in 2008. What started as a hobby has now grown into an international jewellery brand selling thousands of pieces a year.
What’s your USP?
Jian London’s signature style is classic with a modern twist, offering timeless, affordable luxury designed to be worn and cherished for a lifetime. I love creating jewellery that is not only beautiful, but meaningful and accessible; because we cut out the middlemen and sell directly from manufacturing to the customer, we’re able to offer incredibly competitive pricing.
Our collections are highly customisable. Rings can be stacked together, pendants can be worn individually or combined to create a new look, and drops can be added to earrings to transform them from everyday classics into evening glamour.
Every piece of Jian London tells a story: designed with care, crafted with intention, and gifted with love. We offer thousands of pieces in sterling silver, gold and platinum, from ready-made designs to bespoke creations, ranging from £65 to £35,000. There’s a piece for every occasion and for anybody.
How do you spread the word about what you do?
We initially relied heavily on Google Shopping ads, but as more businesses moved their focus online, especially after Covid, we’ve learned to diversify. We now have a PR team who do an amazing job of getting our pieces in front of the press, stylists and influencers. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see our jewellery grace red carpets at the BAFTAs, the Emmys, Royal Ascot and the BRIT Awards.
What’s been the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome?
Going from handcrafting beaded jewellery at home to designing my own collections and selling thousands of pieces internationally hasn’t been an easy journey.
By far the most difficult period was when we moved to the UK from the US. The market was very different from what we were used to, and the business struggled as we adapted. It reached a point where we were finding it difficult to make ends meet, and my husband (who is also a director of the business) and I made the decision to move from selling B2B to B2C.
We launched our own website – which was much harder to do back then – and that became the turning point. By selling directly to customers, we were able to improve our margins and grow the business. I still remember going from being thrilled to receive five orders a day to being completely overwhelmed by the number of orders that came in overnight!
When the orders eventually became too much for me to handle alone, I ‘recruited’ (shanghaied) my children into helping. Today, both my daughter and son are part of the family business, which makes it even more special.
How do you balance your work with your family?
Balancing work and family has never been easy. I didn’t want to sacrifice time with my family, and I also wanted to give the business my best, so there were other things I had to give up. For many years, I had very little social life or time for hobbies. I spent countless hours working on the website, designing collections, dealing with customers, liaising with manufacturers, and managing the accounts. There’s always something more to do.
Learning to prioritise has been one of the most important lessons. It’s much better now that more of my family is involved in the business and we get to see each other everyday. My advice would be: make sure that whatever you are going to sacrifice is something you are truly willing to give, and never be afraid to ask the people around you for help.
What are your three top pieces of advice for someone wanting to do something similar?
1) Commit with true dedication
Having the skills needed to run a business is important, but the most important thing is dedication. It’s what allows you to keep learning skills you never thought you’d need, balance the books late into the night, and keep going even when you’re bashing your head against the wall because things aren’t going according to plan.
2) Be open to advice, but stubborn enough to see things through
Building a successful business doesn’t happen overnight. It takes real grit to keep going for years, and there will be many things that test you along the way; whether it’s people who don’t believe in your vision or obstacles that seem impossible to overcome. You need the determination to push through difficult times, but also the flexibility to adapt as your business and the market change.
3) Love what you do – or at least love most of it
Running a business inevitably comes with challenges. If you’re doing what you’re truly passionate about, then enduring the difficult moments becomes worthwhile and dedication born from passion is the most lasting type of perseverance.
I feel incredibly lucky that I get to do something I love every day. It’s not often that people get to turn their passion into a career, and I never take that for granted. It’s incredibly gratifying to see the joy our jewellery brings to people, especially when they come back time and time again and share how much they love their pieces.
And of course, it’s much easier to get through the less glamorous parts of running a business when your latest ring prototype has just arrived in the post and you have to “quality test” it on your hand all day!
Read more about Jian London.
