23 Sept 2024

Meet the Makers: Paul from In The Heather

A man in a waterproof coat and a warm hat kneels down in a field and looks carefully at a clump of purple heather.

Paul admiring the heather at Culloden

The Trust is proud to support talented makers and craftspeople from across Scotland, by selling their products in our physical and online shops. This time we meet Paul McParland, the owner of In The Heather.

Please introduce yourself and your business.

Hello! My name is Paul McParland and I’m the owner of In The Heather – a Scottish heritage jewellery company. I’ve been making jewellery for over a decade now and I love to push the boundaries of what’s possible with real plants and jewellery. I work mainly in sterling silver and eco resin.

Since last year I’ve been based in my shop at The Hidden Lane in Glasgow. The shop provides an interesting opportunity to see us at work sorting out the heather and making the jewellery. Some days you can also watch us pouring candles or formulating skincare. The Hidden Lane is a fascinating place and looks like Tobermory right here in Glasgow!

What products do you design?

We specialise mainly in real Scottish heather jewellery, which you can find at many stunning National Trust for Scotland places. Each year when the heather is in bloom, from August to September, we travel to the Highlands and collect one large box of heather. This is enough to last the whole year. We only snip stems from the top, leaving the roots and actual bulk of the plant undamaged.

From here, the heather is dried in the shop for around 2 weeks before being made into jewellery. The great thing about our heather jewellery is that it resembles a miniature heather field inside each pendant. Working with eco resin is one of my most interesting materials.

Two hands use a pair of scissors to cut the tips off a flowering purple heather plant in a field.

Two stud earrings with gold stalks and resin balls, filled with purple heather, are displayed against a white background.

What makes your business unique?

In The Heather is unique as it is a brand based on the plants and animals that live in the heather fields of Scotland. There are hundreds of species that live in this habitat. Heather also has a strong presence in history and folklore. I really want to give my customers a unique, high-quality Scottish experience when they see the jewellery, and bring them a new opportunity to explore their heritage. We also create the Culloden real heather jewellery – to be able to transform tiny pieces of this incredible place into jewellery is priceless.

What’s your favourite thing about running your business?

My favourite thing about In The Heather is getting out into the wilderness when collecting heather and enjoying the beautiful Scottish scenery. It feels like home.

What’s your favourite Trust place?

I find that all Trust places have a special ‘feeling’ about them – like a memory you are going to make and hold close for a lifetime. Inverewe is my favourite though – the diversity of botanicals there is incredible, and I love that it’s beside the shore. The mix of the salty air and the ability to walk through such beautiful gardens is a unique experience.

A hand holds out a bunch of purple heather, with a field of flowering heather in the background and blue sky overhead.

A view of the terraced garden at Inverewe, dropping down to the lochside. Visitors walk along one of the narrow gravel paths. Bright pink flowers are in the foreground.

What’s your favourite product that you supply to the Trust and what was the inspiration behind creating it?

It has to be the real Culloden heather jewellery, hand-picked from the site itself during the yearly heather bloom. There is a real honour and a privilege about doing this – carefully selecting heather from such a sacred place and preserving it for generations to come.

What do you love about Scotland? #fortheloveofscotland

It would be hard to find something I don’t love about Scotland but near the top of the list is the moody Scottish landscapes of autumn. That is unbeatable. I also think that people make Scotland – we have so much talent and diversity here; it is truly inspiring.