Gillian Finlay grew up in Hong Kong and moved to Scotland to study Jewellery and Silversmithing at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, where she graduated with First-Class Honours. Gillian has exhibited her work throughout the UK including in London, Glasgow and Edinburgh. After starting a family, training as a florist and moving to London, a move back to Scotland saw her return to full-time jewellery making. She set-up her new Edinburgh studio in 2020. In 2024, Gillian was selected by The Goldsmith’s Centre as a ‘new talent’ showcase jeweller to participate in their Shine 2024 Programme and Exhibition. In 2025, Gillian was selected by the Museum of Art & Design for their annual MAD About Jewellery Exhibition in New York, and subsequently, for Goldsmiths’ Fair 2025, where she will be exhibiting in Week 2 of The Fair.Her work is inspired by her childhood memories of Hong Kong and the extraordinary bamboo scaffolding which enveloped its myriad skyscrapers, captivating her. Gillian draws inspiration from these distinctive scaffold structures, each with their own natural flow, finding beauty in their complex patterns. She reinterprets these structures by folding, pleating and pinching strips of precious metal wire; reimagining them into more playful and flowing forms. Each unique piece of jewellery reflects the contradictions in these bamboo scaffold frameworks - they are strong and structural, yet light and intricate.