For much of her adult life, Clare Maiden worked in the fast-paced world of marketing and communications. However, a chance enrolment on an evening class in jewellery-making ignited a creative awakening. What began as a casual hobby quickly snowballed into a passion that was nothing short of transformative, prompting Clare to trade her corporate attire for a jeweller’s bench, a move to the Cornish coast, a degree from the Birmingham School of Jewellery, numerous industry accolades and a signature elegant style that translates the organic into the classic.
Her days in an office long behind her, Clare has set up a home workshop overlooking the Cober Valley and now walks the beach with her dog, drawing inspiration from the rippling velvet waves and tumultuous weather. Using computer-aided design (CAD), lost wax casting and delicate grain setting, her signature style translates the fluid beauty of the ocean into timeless jewellery made from sustainable materials. This year, her unique vision and craftsmanship have earned her a spot in Shine 2024, the Goldsmiths' Centre's prestigious exhibition celebrating emerging talent in the jewellery industry.
A Creative Awakening
My career in jewellery is a return to design about thirty-five years after I started. Initially, I was an art director at an advertising agency and then I worked in marketing, events management and internal communications. I discovered jewellery quite by accident. I was a bit bored, looking for some mental stimulus, and decided to take an evening class. Jewellery was a random choice, but I absolutely loved it - it got me hooked! I started wire work before moving on to silver jewellery, making pieces and wearing them to work. The people in my office began complimenting my work, which encouraged me to begin making pieces for them and soon I was running lunchtime stalls and an Etsy shop. After a few years of doing this, I had imposter syndrome. I knew I’d be more confident if I were a trained goldsmith, so I went to the Birmingham School of Jewellery, initially to do an HND, but stayed on to do a BA in Jewellery and Silversmithing - Design for Industry.
I sold my house to pay for my college fees and moved somewhere much smaller, setting up my own workshop in my garden with the most beautiful view out over the Cober Valley, about three miles from the coast in South West Cornwall. Although I got into jewellery-making randomly, it’s my new career and it makes me really happy. I was the only kid at school to do art at A-Level, but then I went on to do a science degree because I thought it was the right thing to do. So, it shows that sometimes you should just follow your heart and do what feels natural to you, not what you think is the ‘right’ thing to do. I discovered that a bit later in life.
In terms of understanding client briefs and getting inside a client’s head, my previous career has been beneficial. Once you’ve been doing it for a few years, it’s ingrained in you to think from the customer's point of view. It’s actually quite important and it’s not something that necessarily comes naturally to everybody.
Before I started the university course, I was focused on the making of the jewellery, but now it’s more about designing pieces that people will want to wear. Having worn jewellery myself, I know from my point of view what feels comfortable, what doesn't, what's practical, and what catches on your sleeves. I bring all of that into my design approach. I’ve learned about computer-aided design (CAD) on the course which has opened up a whole new area of jewellery design that I didn't even know existed and I’ve applied it to my current Wave collection.
Waves of Inspiration
I would describe my designs as embodying an understated elegance - confident pieces for independent individuals. Instead of focusing on colour, I emphasise contrast and texture to define form, using gemstones and diamonds as subtle accents to highlight specific details. My inspiration is deeply rooted in my surroundings. Since moving to Cornwall nearly three years ago, the sea has become a major source of inspiration. I spend hours walking along the coast path and beach with my dog, often tripping over because I’m so absorbed in the waves that I’m not looking where I’m going! The ever-changing sea, influenced by different weather conditions, mirrors our moods and struggles. When life is going smoothly, the sea is calm and beautiful; when struggles arise, it becomes stormy and tumultuous. This metaphor resonates with the way women stay afloat and support those around them.
Capturing the Essence of the Ocean - the Process
I take lots of photographs. I've always got my phone with me - it winds my husband up! It's often not the actual image that leads to a design, but rather the feeling that goes with the image. For me, it’s all about the way you feel when you wear a piece of jewellery - how it fits and the sensation when you touch or fiddle with it, like the feeling you get sitting by the coast on a lovely sunny day when the sea looks like ripples of velvet or silk dark blue with turquoise accents. That sense of calm when everything is under control is what I want to evoke in the pieces of the Wave collection that I have designed so that when people wear them they feel an innate, unassuming confidence. The pieces are understated, they're not shouty, they're not blingy. They can be worn with anything from jeans and a T-shirt, through to an evening dress or a suit.
The pieces in the Wave collection have a movement to them that replicates the way waves roll in, gathering speed and height until they reach their peak before they break. Then, thinking about how waves creep forward across the sand, at the very last point as they’re losing their energy just before they sink into the sand, there’ll be a line of bubbles at the leading edge - a little sparkle of light that catches the eye. Catching sight of that sparkle is such an uplifting and happy moment. It’s that sense of movement and subtle sparkle that defines the form and characteristics of pieces in the Wave collection and is echoed in the arc of tiny gemstones or diamonds on the edge of the pieces.
Sustainable and Ethical Craftsmanship
I've designed this collection to work in silver and gold and with diamonds or coloured gemstones. I believe that you can't call a piece ‘fine’ jewellery if it’s harmed the health and well-being of people or the planet in its production. To me, that's just not fine and so it’s not fine jewellery. I like to work with ethically sourced and sustainably produced materials wherever I can, including lab-grown diamonds and ocean diamonds. It depends on what the customer wants as they may have other preferences, but that would be my choice. I also choose to work with either Fair Trade or recycled metals and manage my studio as sustainably as possible.
The Wave Collection: A Deep Dive
Wave is a collection of bangles, earrings and rings together with a couple of more unusual items which I’ve included because I wanted to explore different ways to wear fine jewellery.
I’ve got two or three favourite pieces in the collection. The rings have a profile that allows them to stack beautifully, but in quite an unusual form, snuggling nicely into your finger. And I love that they're so versatile - you can wear them on their own or stacked together with sapphires, topaz, and aquamarines to give a feeling of movement like waves crashing over one another. I also love the bangle and the way it sits so naturally on the wrist, following the contours of the hand.
I have also designed a scarf ring and a scarf to go with it. I wear a lot of scarves and there are so few accessories to keep a scarf in place out there. I love the scarf ring because it’s so unusual and distinctive. The hairpin was also fun to make using a combination of hand forging and CAD. Quite a bit of research went into exactly how the contours worked, how tight it needed to be to grip the hair and how it flowed around the head. It’s capable of holding up even long hair without the need for added bobby pins and the juxtaposing textures of frosting and polish accentuate the different parts of it.
Design Challenges and Techniques
One of the most challenging aspects of the collection as a whole was the finish. The simpler a piece of jewellery is, the better quality the finish has to be because any flaws will stand out. The collection is beautifully polished and accented with grain-set gemstones. Each stone is set with between three and five grains which means they’re securely held in, yet very smooth to the touch, so there are no claws to get caught on your clothes.
Getting the right feel for the design was another challenge and the approach I took to that was taking lots of photographs of waves. Waves are all about lines. Unlike a lot of jewellers who develop ideas by sketching, once I knew what form I wanted, I moved straight onto the computer to work on the design. I’d manipulate, stretch and twist the lines to get the feel of the movement of water. It was a bit like moulding and playing with putty. Then I started adding the stones in.
When it comes to actually creating the pieces, after designing them, I tested 3D printed resin prototypes to ensure I was happy with the form and fit of the pieces. I use lost wax casting; 3D printing the designs then casting them in precious metal, before doing a lot of careful sanding and polishing to remove any flaws. Many of my designs are also hollowed out slightly, especially the bangle. This accentuates the form and removes some of the weight, making the item more comfortable to wear.
Jewellery for Every Scenario
My collection is aimed at people who have their own sense of style. It's not fashion-forward, it's not trying to follow trends. It's striving to be classic, individual and stylish in its own right, yet very versatile and comfortable to wear. Wearability is right at the top of the list for me - if you don't feel comfortable wearing something, you won't wear it no matter how lovely it looks. My clients are often busy professional women who may be juggling careers, running a home and a family. Their lives are very busy and they work hard, so they expect the things they wear - whether it’s jewellery or clothing - to work as hard as they do. They’re not after fads or fast fashion, but longevity, quality and classic items that they can wear year in and year out and change up to suit the occasion. The pieces are versatile enough to be worn in a number of scenarios from going out in the evening to gardening.
On Being Selected for Shine and Looking Ahead
I was over the moon to be selected for Shine, especially so soon after graduating and I’ve learned so much from the programme. In terms of setting up my business, the timing was absolutely perfect. Although my background was in marketing, it's very easy to market somebody else, but it’s really hard to market yourself. Like many others, I have huge imposter syndrome and the course has taught me how to present myself to camera and how to go about photographing my work. More generally, I’ve learned how to position myself amongst my peer group, moving from a hobbyist jeweller, to a student, to a professional goldsmith exhibiting in a professional setting.
I'm very excited about the opportunity to have my collection on show at the Goldsmiths’ Centre and available to purchase through the Goldsmiths’ Shop Talent website. It means a lot to me. Coming into the industry a little later, I haven't got years and years to build up a brand so I need to hit the ground running. Shine is a wonderful showcasing opportunity, offering me the chance to get my work in front of discerning customers - people who know what they’re looking for. The training you get during the Shine programme is world-class and I would thoroughly recommend it to anybody. I feel superbly privileged to have been chosen to be part of it.
The Wave collection is one of about four or five collections that I've got on the go at the moment. I'm in the process of taking them from prototypes into being suitable for manufacture on an ongoing basis, creating moulds and adapting them for different sizes. My plan is to be an independent designer and goldsmith based out of my Cornwall studio. Coming up this month I have the Form Falmouth Art Fair and the Forge September showcase and I'm also in the process of building a website to sell through, in addition to applying for future fairs and showcasing opportunities. I’m really hoping to get my work out there, seen, recognised and build a name for myself as a designer of desirable and highly wearable fine jewellery.