Everyone always asks me why I started Fiori’s Finds. I’m sure you’re wondering why too. Most assume it’s a grand origin story, one full of intrigue and excitement. The reality is more humble. 

Way back in 2017 my favourite watch’s battery stopped. When I took the watch to the jeweller, I was quoted a steep price, prompting me to think:

“Expertise aside, surely it can’t cost that much? How hard can this really be?”

This was October and in true British fashion, it was raining outside. With an open weekend afternoon beckoning, I impulsively bought a watch repair kit from eBay and a spare battery.

And a watch. 

Why a watch? Well, my actual watch was a present from my wife and I had zero desire to cause any further damage. I thought the best way to experiment was on an already broken timepiece. 

Turns out repairing a battery powered watch is easy - you pop open the back, tweezer in the new battery and away you go. 

Now I had a newly repaired spare watch I didn’t even like so the best option was to sell it on eBay. To my surprise, now everything was working and cleaned up a little, I made my money back and a little more. 

In other words, I made my first profit. My little house bunny Basil was very proud.

Watching a Passion Appear 

Encouraged by this entrepreneurial endeavour, I bought another watch for the same treatment. Then another. And another. 

And then in one spree, I spotted a box of vintage items along with a watch and mused:

“If I buy this and clean up the items, photographing them better than they were, I’m sure I can make a few quid.”

And just like that, as was the case with my earlier watch adventures, I purchased another box. Then another. And another. 

Perhaps you have seen a pattern emerging sooner than I did, but after six months I realised I was having fun and whilst on holiday with my wife I struck up a conversation over dinner. 

“How About Fiori’s Finds?”

I explained to her how I thought I was onto something and with our wedding coming up in two years, perhaps I should create a dedicated brand. I suggested Fiori’s Finds to a tepid response. 

We carried on brainstorming for about half an hour, until she said, “how about Fiori’s Finds?”.

I chuckled but took this as a sign. Clearly there was something in the name and the moment I was home, I created a dedicated eBay store, Facebook and Instagram pages, and registered for self assessment with our friends at HMRC. 

Fiori’s Finds was born.

Why Jewellery?

For the first year, I traded everything - from ceramics to jewellery to ornaments to glass, all the while honing my photography skills, learning about online marketplaces and following my passion for eclectic finds. 

Unbeknownst to me, I kept gravitating towards jewellery and it appeared that my community on social media felt the same. 

My brand evolved, landing on its purple colours, and my Etsy store started up. My Facebook page grew, I started to make friends with my customers and I kept noticing that costume jewellery was piling up. 

Spotting this, I made an active choice to focus on jewellery and made it my near-exclusive specialism, buying books by the bucketload and speaking to others in the trade. 

In the early days I felt a little awkward - surely as a man, I shouldn’t be trading jewellery and what do I know - but as years went by, the imposter in me gave way to the passion and I became more intoxicated by the trade. 

Fast Forward to Now 

I’ve always been amazed that people choose to buy from me. I pride myself on my service and have sold to thousands upon thousands of people.

Nowadays, I split my hunting between costume jewellery collections for those who have grown up with Fiori’s Finds but in recent years I’ve been slowly buying more silver, gold and rarer pieces. 

This year has been a big one for Fiori’s Finds. It’s the year that I incorporated as a business. This still isn’t my main job but it feels large enough to become a valid part of my identity and after nearly nine years, have earned my place in the trade. 

I still sell online on eBay, Etsy, Vinted and social media, but increasingly customers are coming here, my dedicated website for the treasure they love. 

I love all my customers and I feel honoured to be the custodian of the pieces I source. Thank you for visiting my website and I hope you enjoy my finds as much as I do.