by Elizabeth Hoye – Founder Truly Jewellery
There are moments in business that feel as though they gently bring you back to where you began.
For me, this new partnership with The Burlington Hotel in Birmingham is one of those moments.
Set in the heart of the city, The Burlington has long been part of Birmingham’s story. Originally known as The Midland Hotel and built in 1874, it carries all the elegance, character and quiet grandeur of the Victorian era. From its period architecture to the sense of history held within its walls, it feels like a place where craftsmanship, hospitality and heritage naturally belong together.
One of the details I love most is the hotel’s connection to water: the well and underground spring that still forms part of its story. There is something so grounding about that. Beneath the bustle of New Street, beneath the movement of the city, there is still a source — something lasting, hidden, and quietly serving the building after all these years.
That idea feels very close to the heart of Truly Jewellery.
A return to my own Birmingham roots
My career began in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter, working for a gold refining business. It was my introduction to the jewellery trade in its most honest form: precious metal, skilled hands, trust, transformation and craft.
From there, I travelled all over the UK in sales, meeting people, learning the industry, and understanding how jewellery can connect so deeply with place, memory and emotion. Those early years gave me the foundation for everything I do now.
They taught me that jewellery is never just about adornment. It is about story. It is about where something has come from, who has touched it, and why it matters.
That journey eventually led me to create Truly Jewellery — a brand rooted in creativity, heritage, hospitality and meaningful display.
Jewellery, history and the hotel experience
Over time, I became increasingly drawn to the way jewellery could live within beautiful spaces. Hotels, especially heritage hotels, have their own atmosphere and identity. They are places of arrival, celebration, romance, business, travel and memory.
A carefully considered jewellery display can add something special to that experience. It can complement the interiors, reflect the story of the building, and give guests a moment of discovery.
At Truly Jewellery, our hotel displays are designed to feel part of their surroundings — not simply placed there, but thoughtfully connected to the venue. You can read more about this approach in our blog on how jewellery displays in luxury hotels enhance the guest experience.
The Burlington Hotel feels like a natural home for this work. Its Victorian heritage, city-centre presence and enduring charm create the perfect setting for jewellery that feels elegant, meaningful and rooted in Birmingham’s creative spirit.
In support of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter
This partnership is also deeply personal because it supports the place where my own jewellery journey began.
Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter is one of the city’s great treasures. Its history of jewellery making, metalworking, refining, engraving, gem setting and craftsmanship is woven into the identity of Birmingham itself. The area has shaped generations of makers, designers, goldsmiths and creative businesses — and it continues to inspire new ones today.
The Quarter is not only a place of trade. It is a place of skill, resilience and reinvention.
For me, to bring Truly Jewellery into The Burlington Hotel is to honour that connection: between Birmingham’s hotel heritage, the Jewellery Quarter’s craftsmanship, and my own journey from the refining trade to building a creative jewellery brand.
Jewellery with a sense of place
The pieces chosen for The Burlington have been selected to complement the hotel’s character. They are designed to feel elegant, considered and quietly luxurious — jewellery that sits beautifully within a historic Birmingham setting.
I want guests to feel that they are seeing something connected to the city around them. Something that belongs here.
Because when jewellery is displayed with thought and care, it becomes more than a product. It becomes part of a wider story. A detail in the guest experience. A memory of a place. A connection between maker, hotel and city.
From the Jewellery Quarter to The Burlington
Looking back, I could never have known that my first steps in the Jewellery Quarter would one day lead to partnerships with beautiful hotels.
But perhaps that is the magic of Birmingham. Its stories are layered. Its industries are connected. Its heritage continues to shape new ideas.
From gold refining to national sales, from founding Truly Jewellery to creating displays for hotels, my journey has always come back to the same things: craftsmanship, history, people and place.
This partnership with The Burlington Hotel brings all of those threads together.
It is a celebration of Birmingham.
A tribute to the Jewellery Quarter.
And, for me, a very heartfelt full-circle moment.
With love,
Liz
Founder, Truly Jewellery
