About
Described as unmistakably English and unforgettable, Claire English Jewellery is hand-crafted in London, and is born out of a pure British eccentricity and a mischievous imagination.
Akin to a 21st century bricoleur, Claire is adept at presenting the familiar as extraordinary. Her collections are steeped in storytelling; the more fantastic and bizarrely sourced the stories are, the more they inspire her to create jewellery.
'I gather inspiration from a variety of sources, from reading to chance encounters,' she adds. 'The emotion I crave is wonderment; a sense of fantasy, challenging our preconceptions about what is possible in the material world. The cabinets of curiosities from the 17th century were curated with this very sentiment in mind.'
Claire's irreverent wit and gift for conveying the magical is matched by a clear vision for her brand. This blend of the ethereal and entrepreneurial has already caught the attention of industry experts. In 2010, Claire featured on the BBC TV series High Street Dreams, where she quickly grasped the importance of business branding from her mentor Stephen Webster. Since then, she has attracted numerous accolades, including NexGem in Professional Jeweller's Hot 100 2011, The Kickstart Trend Award 2011 for Excellence in Progressive Jewellery Design from Stylesight - The Most Trusted Name in Trend and the final prize in Professional Jeweller's Treasure and Jewellery Show London 2012 public & trade judged competition.
'My ultimate aim is to transform insignificant, overlooked or even ugly objects into luxurious and playful jewels with a gothic edge,' Claire concludes. 'I hope very much that my designs, which commemorate the caprice of our age, will one day earn their place in London's museum collections of the future.'
Claire's cheerful & cheeky little dog Alban loves going to the workshop with her everyday. He sleeps whilst the magic of making special jewellery happens!
