Victoria Finlay is a British writer and journalist, renowned for her exploration of colour and jewels in her writing.

She studied Social Anthropology at St Andrews University, Scotland and William & Mary College, Virginia. Her time in Ladakh, Northern India, teaching in a Tibetan refugee camp, was pivotal in shaping her appreciation for diverse cultures.

Her career began as a management trainee with Reuters in London and Scandinavia. However, her aspiration to become a news journalist led her to a diploma in journalism at the London College of Printing.

Finlay fulfilled her dream by working for The South China Morning Post in Hong Kong during the handover period, and later served as news reporter and arts editor. Her tenure there lasted 12 years.

Her passion for the origins of colours inspired her to write her first book, Colour: Travels Through The Paintbox, published in 2002. This was followed by Jewels: A Secret History in 2004.

Returning to the UK, she married and worked on developmental programmes through the charity Alliance of Religions and Conservation, where she was the head of communications.

In 2014, she published The Brilliant History of Color in Art, named the Huffington Post’s top art book of the year. Her latest book, Fabric: the Hidden History of the Material World, was published in 2021.

Beyond writing, Finlay has contributed to several publications, including Orion, Apollo, The Independent, The Smithsonian Magazine, BBC History Magazine, and more. She has also participated in the BBC Radio 4 programme, The Museum of Curiosities.