Art of stone Francesca Fearon

The indefatigable Lane The Duchess of Windsor is rumoured to have been buried red in one of his jewelled belts, and Princess Diana used to pop into his Knightsbridge shop to buy a pair of earrings after a bowl of spaghetti in San Lorenzo, across the road. The American jewellery designer has almost single-handedly made costume jewellery cool.

The indefatigable Lane, now 80 and on a brief visit to London, is holding court on a hot summer’s day in the St James Street showroom of the leading London jewellery dealer Harry Fane. Lane is obviously very well connected: a steady stream of visitors pay calls, including the wife of the former Nizam of Hyderabad, while Princess Michael of Kent is expected any minute. A couple of marchionesses have dropped by, but, he says, “no duchesses”. Obviously, this is unusual.

The jewellery designer cuts a dapper figure in a mustard-coloured suit with blue shirt and tie, loafers without socks. “I never wear socks in summer,” he says. However, he has been invited to lunch at the House of Lords the following day – would they allow red that in their dining room? “Who is going to look at my feet?” he retorts.