After over twenty years of retail experience with stores such as Gucci, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Neiman Marcus, Jane took her middle name and decided to follow her ‘heart’ to design jewelry that celebrates the close bond between horse and rider. Horses and jewelry were naturals for her and Jane Heart was born!
The sterling silver and 14K gold designs are inspired by her love of horses and the desire to have unique equine jewelry that is classic and timeless in style. Getting the horses accurate has been very important for Jane. When a customer looks at the piece she wants them to see their own horse. “That way, when they wear my jewelry they feel even more connected to their horse,” Jane comments.
Day to day inspiration comes from the challenge of creating a special commissioned piece for a client, expansion into different breeds and the challenge to make them come to life in a piece of jewelry. For Jane this also involves the way the breed is represented and understood by the people who ride them.
Her passion for horses began at the age of seven with a love of ponies and her first red cowboy outfit complete with a red hat. She still has the picture. Her childhood encounters with horses were limited to the confines of her imagination. She acquired her first horse at age 24 and taught herself to ride. “Many times Holly would back me into a fence and refuse to move because she knew that I didn’t know what I was doing,” Jane reminisces.
With her retail career she moved from state to state, nurturing her passion for horses, acquiring new horses as her riding improved. When she left the corporate world in 1993 she knew she loved horses and jewelry and developed a full line of jewelry that is sold from coast to coast in the United States and Canada as well as Great Britain.
Jane lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband Dennis. Along with her jewelry business she paints impressionistic art and is writing her first book titled Follow Your Heart.
ARTIST: Jane Heart
WEB SITE: www.janeheart.com
EMAIL: jane@janeheart.com
