IWD: Interview with The Jeweller Editor Belinda Morris

To celebrate International Women’s Day on 8th March and Women’s History Month, we’re spotlighting influential women within the jewellery industry all month long - Discovering how they got to where they are today and the strong female figures that have inspired them along the way.

To kick the series off, we had the pleasure of speaking with journalist and Editor of The Jeweller magazine, Belinda Morris, who spends her days keeping us up to date with all the latest industry news and sharing beautiful must-have jewellery - what a job!

Thanks for chatting with us Belinda, first off could you tell us a little bit about your current role?

I am the editor of The Jeweller, a quarterly magazine published by the National Association of Jewellers, read by all the different sectors across the jewellery trade.

What do you love most about your job?

I love that my job combines my long-time loves of jewellery, writing and magazines. And I get to work with and meet so many great, interesting and lovely people. I also love the opportunity to learn so much about the trade.

How did you get to where you are today as the editor of The Jeweller?

When I left school at 18 I studied Fashion Journalism at the London College of Fashion. My first ‘proper job’ came two years later; I was fashion editor of the trade magazine Men’s Wear and that led, eight years later, to joining the men’s consumer title FHM as fashion and grooming editor. 

Following that, I freelanced for various magazines and newspapers and co-founded and ran a third-party publishing business. Twenty-one years ago I was asked to write news stories for The Jeweller, which led to writing features and, 14 years ago, to being made editor.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given in your career so far?

I’ve wracked my brain on this one, but can’t think of career advice I’ve been given that has been relevant and stayed with me. When I was about 23 a fashion journalist, aghast at what he considered to be my inappropriate attire at some industry get-together in Germany, said I should always travel with a full-length black velvet skirt. Hmmm, I still don’t own such a thing!

I have created my own advice though – based on experience – and occasionally passed it on when pressed for advice: never be afraid to admit that you don’t understand something, especially if you’re interviewing someone. There’s nothing worse than re-reading your notes later and realising that you’re totally in the dark over some detail, description, technical term… whatever. I’ve learned that people are usually very happy to explain and don’t see it as a failing on your part.

What female role models have you had in your life and why?

I can’t honestly say that I have any role models. Of course, there have been quite a few fashion editors and stylists whose work I admired and there was one who I desperately wanted to look like! She (unknowingly) is responsible for my love of ethnic textiles and layers of OTT jewellery. It was a look that I tried, not quite as successfully, to pull off. I was young; it was the ‘80s – don’t judge me!

What are you most proud of doing?

Tsk – another tough question – it’s not something that I ever think about. But I guess that I should be proud that I followed my ambition to work as a journalist and I’m still doing it today, at the age of 64. And I’m proud of the magazine that I help to create now.

What did you dream of doing when you were little?

If you don’t count a fervent desire to be an air hostess, plus an ambition to read stories on TV’s Jackanory (when I was 6), my first dream job (aged 11), was to be a pavement artist, doing portraits of tourists in Venice. “Good idea” said my dad “but probably not much money in it.” The idea of a fashion journalist was put in my head when I was 12 and I became focussed on nothing else but that. I was very singled-minded. It never occurred to me that it wouldn’t happen – there was no Plan B.

Thank you so much sparing your time to chat with us Belinda - no judgement on the OTT jewellery, we've all fallen victim to a fashion crime. Next week we have our very own Annabelle Davis, who will be sharing how she came to run the family business as well as the female designers to watch right now.