You recognise their names and have seen their creations. Yet, do you know the people behind the brands? LuxuryFacts will help you do so. This week, we ask jewelry designer Amy Burton of Hancocks and Amy Burton Fine Jewelry 13 personality-revealing questions
By: Dimitria Vitanova
Posted on: November 3, 2016
If you know Hancocks, London’s high-end antique jewelry store, chances are, you have heard about Amy Burton.
Daughter of Hancocks’ current owners, Stephen and Janie Burton, Ms Burton’s aptitude for fine jewelry is as innate as nurtured by the family business. Since 2009, when she began purchasing vintage and signed ornaments for Hancocks, Ms Burton has grown into one of the most graceful and insightful young experts in the industry. She earned the valued gemologist certifications of D.G.A. and F.G.A. from London’s Gemmological Association; took up a jewelry art and design course at the Gemological Institute of America; and recently launched her own label – Amy Burton Fine Jewelry.
Yet, little of her professional achievements is braggingly apparent on her Instagram and Twitter accounts. Instead, Ms Burton seems to stock her social media profiles with motley snippets of her personal life. From her puggle Grumphrey and husband Mo Taguri to her intense gym workouts and blog articles on healthy living to jaunts in nature and favorite protein shakes, Ms Burton posts and snaps present an all-smiles woman who has stuck the enviable balance between work and leisure.
To meet the person behind the name, LuxuryFacts asked Ms Burton 13 questions. No business, sole individuality.
LuxuryFacts: What did you want to become as a child?
Amy Burton: Anything involving looking after animals. I was obsessed when I was little and was even organizing fundraisers for the World Wildlife Fund when I was about 7.
LF: What kind of a kid were you?
AB: Creative and a little bit naughty and rebellious but also worked hard when I loved a subject. When I wanted to [school] I would strive really hard and wanted to excel at what I did. When I didn't like a subject I was... less cooperative. Absolutely lived for PE and Art classes....
LF: What was the life experience that impacted you the most? How and why?
AB: My father taking me to the JAR exhibition at Somerset House in 2002. It was a time when I was feeling pretty lost in my life. It literally re-awoke my imagination and the happiness within me and I fell head over heels with the magical jewels. Although it then took me a while to get to where I was happy in my career – that was the 'hallelujah' moment when I knew jewelry was much more to me than a passing interest in my family business.
LF: What advice would you give to your 18-year old self?
AB: Don't walk away from the creative side of your personality, embrace it, study it and never stop learning. If you are creative then you need to pursue it otherwise your inner glow will dim.
LF: What was the last thing that made you genuinely laugh?
AB: My husband and my dog make me laugh hard almost every day. There's also a few very funny podcasts that I listen to regularly that can literally make me laugh out loud as I walk down the street. It definitely improves the London commute.
LF: What is the most exciting part of your work day? The most tedious?
AB: Designing and drawing is without doubt the most exciting. I can be lost in a design for hours and am the happiest person in the world when I am. I find [administration] and emails are tedious.
LF: How do you decompress?
AB: A hardcore gym class, bath, scented candles, food and watch a movie with my husband.
LF: What was the first thing you thought about this morning?
AB: My to-do list. 2nd thought – how I wish I could finish my to-do list. 3rd thought – how do other people ever finish their to-do lists.
LF: What is the last thing you do before going to bed?
AB: I usually put on a meditation app and play it out loud to stop my mind from flying about.
LF: What is the meaning of life?
AB: To me it is to love and enjoy it while we have it. Life is too short and being truly unhappy in any aspect is just not an option for me.
LF: What’s love?
AB: Family/partner/pet/friends..... doesn't matter where you find love but experiencing it is what makes life worth living.
LF: What are you most afraid of?
AB: I am a pretty anxious person so I don't think you have enough space in this column to list them all.
LF: What is one existential, difficult-to-answer question you wished you knew the right response to?
AB: I think there's enough stress in life without pondering questions that are impossible to answer. However, maybe the one about the monkey and typewriters, though.
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