"This was an antique shop and next door was an antiques shop, while on Fridays the knocker boys used to come round selling stuff they had knocked off.”

Jeremy Hoye is in the back office of his Ship Street shop, describing what The Lanes was like before he opened his contemporary jewellers in 1994.

It may only have been 15 years ago but Brighton was a very different place back then; post-recession, prehousing boom and yet to be gentrified by wealthy Londoners looking to escape the rat race.

With his ultra-cool, modern designs and progressive approach to running a shop, Jeremy was in the perfect position to take advantage of what was to come.

But he admits success did not come straight away.

He said: “There was nothing like this back then and people thought what we were doing was a bit strange.

Instead of the usual displays, we would use bit of driftwood or sand inside the cabinets.

“It was quite hard at first for people to realise what we were doing – they would walk in and think we were a museum. Since then other stores have tried to copy us and I think now there are more contemporary jewellers here than anywhere else in the country.

“The majority of their owners have worked for me at some point. It is flattering in some ways and annoying in others because people feel they can steal my thunder.”

Even though he employed them in the past, Jeremy is not shy of pointing out the deficiencies of his competition.

He said: “Often people who open up do so pretty poorly. You have got to give it your best shot and I don’t think people think about making themselves individual enough – they are too busy following the same trends.”

Jeremy prides himself on the uniqueness of his style. He finds inspiration from many different places, from crystallised rocks to the rings he saw around the trees of Borneo, which influenced his Kustom collection where no two designs are the same.

He said: “When I do commissions they are designed to fit with that person only. If someone comes in and asks me to do something similar to a piece they saw in another shop then I tell them to go back there. Why would I want to copy someone else?”

While he has harsh words for fellow jewellers, before anyone can accuse him of being a curmudgeon, Jeremy is full of praise for other Brighton traders.

He said: “I love Dockerills, it’s a fantastic business.

You can go in there and buy practically whatever you like and the staff are always friendly and helpful.

“It is an inspiring place. I like Gresham (Blake) as well for his mad attitude. I’m not a suit person myself but he has put fun back into them.

“I like the fact that Brighton is very entrepreneurial, which you notice whenever the big chain stores try to move in. I don’t think they work here because Brighton people want more than the same shops selling the same things.”

Jeremy’s enthusiasm for the city he now calls home does not stretch to those politicians in charge of shaping its future direction, however. He said: “I don’t think the council runs the city properly. There are so many things that could have been built but haven’t such as King Alfred and the ice rink at Black Rock.

“My son skateboards and I take him to places all over the country but there’s nothing here for him. They don’t do anything except keep digging up roads for cycle lanes that are not necessary.

“It’s a city being run by a parish council.”

AKEEN model-maker as a child, Jeremy fell in love with the craft of jewellery-making after being in awe of a silver skull ring he saw on holiday in Cornwall. After leaving school he served a traditional three-year goldsmith and diamond setting apprenticeship for EW Adams in Tooting, London, then worked for a record company for a few years before returning to jewellery, setting up with a friend in Wimbledon.

While designing for stores around Chelsea and Fulham and restoring Victorian jewellery paid the bills, Jeremy had a strong desire to go it alone. Brighton, where he spent many happy holidays and met his wife Mary, was the perfect location.

He said: “I always wanted to live here and then I met Mary and it happened quicker than planned. I love it here. If I’m a bit fed up I walk down to the seafront and it cheers me up. We used to have a shop in Soho but closed it down four years ago.

“It was so hard to get good staff because no one can afford to live there. I also think the people in London are very miserable and would walk in dog mess just to ignore you.”

Being in London, however, attracted the attention of people in the music industry, which led to Jeremy’s designs being worn by pop stars including Avril Lavigne and Dido.

Since then television presenters Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton have become fans but, while he appreciates the exposure, Jeremy shuns the spotlight himself.

He said: “It’s all good for us because it’s free publicity. The celebrity lifestyle doesn’t appeal to me though – I’d rather be faceless behind the brand. It is about the products, not me.”

Jeremy is far more exited talking about cars than stars. In his spare time he restores American hot rods – at the moment he has four in garages across Brighton – and is a member of The Vultures, a club for similarly minded petrol heads.

It is a passion he has been able to pour into his latest venture, Hoye Division, which draws its inspiration from this sub-culture and other alternative lifestyles.

He is particularly keen to show off a silver skull gear knob from the collection, which has been designed for upcoming video game Need For Speed Nitro as the result of a deal with developer EA.

He said: “It’s really exciting and a great way to introduce the jewellery to different markets.”

As well as promoting Hoye Division, Jeremy plans to spend the next few years developing the Jeremy Hoye brand by targeting top department stores around the world, including Harvey Nichols and Bloomingdales in New York.

But he said: “I still enjoy doing commissions and I will be here if a customer wants to come in and make an appointment. That’s the bit I enjoy.”

If all this wasn’t enough, Jeremy is about to begin building an eco-house in Hove Park, for which he is personally designing all the fixtures and fittings.

Working with Brighton-based Alan Phillips architects, the project took two years to get through planning.

During the build he will be filmed by members of EDF’s Green Team to track his progress.

Though not particularly green-minded, Jeremy recognised people of his generation have “no choice”

but to cut their carbon emissions and protect the planet as much as they can He said: “When you see the cost of electricity and gas rising so much it also makes sense financially.

The house will also be a wonderful legacy to leave the children.”

Building an eco-home is also another way for Jeremy to keep himself busy, which he believes is the secret to a contented life. He said: “I’m not happy unless I’ve got some kind of project on. I like to keep moving and do interesting things.

“You’ve got to live your life, haven’t you?"