I have been making jewellery since graduating from the Birmingham School of Jewellery with a B.A Hons In jewellery and silversmithing back in 1998. I have been fortunate to live on both sides of the Planet and have travelled and seen many things. My love of the outdoors leads me to more rural places and my life in the UK has been mainly spent by the sea in Cornwall. My other longest place of residence was New Zealand for ten years, where I saw and was part of the recovery of native gold. My ethics for jewellery making have been influenced not only by the things I have experienced but by the people I have worked with and alongside. I made a conscious choice to use recycled metals, fairtrade and ecometals , and to only obtain gemstones from reputable sources many years ago. It has become clear to me that the more we can do to preserve our Earth the better.
I have an established business making contemporary wedding and engagement rings with ecometals and ethical gemstones, which I started three years ago when I moved back to the U.K. More recently I attended a basic enamelling course, which has sparked my imagination. I have enjoyed the randomness of dusting and painting on metal with powdered glass and firing each piece individually , never knowing what is going to appear when you open the kiln door. I am making pieces which are little abstract pictures or sculptures which can be worn. I love the textures and colours that appear and have been adding 24ct gold foil to the firings, I am also using sheets of anodised aluminium which add another colour and surface to some of the pieces. I love the rawness of the metal, and the way that firings produce different textures and patterns on the enamel, I am layering colours and materials to create unique pieces. If you would like to view my wedding rings you can find them at Claire Allain Designs, on Etsy.