Australian Jewellery designer Claire Aristides has built up two stunning and popular ranges from her base in Clerkenwell, EC1. She shares her journey so far and plans for the future with Beth Squires
Why such a passion for creating and designing jewellery?
I’ve loved jewellery from an early age. My family was lucky enough to travel with my dad’s work, so I've travelled to some amazing places since I was three years old! We visited Mediterranean countries –which were so different from Australia- like Greece and Spain, where women have always adorned themselves in stunning jewellery like turquoise necklaces and coral rings with Grecian gold or sterling silver. My mum had a ball on these trips buying beautiful jewellery at the markets and that has stuck with me ever since. I’m also the youngest of 4 girls, so I was always watching my older sisters trying out jewellery as they got ready for parties. Plus I’ve always loved working with my hands and being creative so it has been a part of me for a long time.
What training (if any) did you seek out?
I am completely self-taught. I progressed from basic beading and have become more and more advanced; an important part of my job is to keep developing new skills so I can offer unique jewellery designs.
What were the biggest challenges in setting up your business?
The biggest challenge, for any business like this, is building a strong brand identity and having a clear vision and ethos reflected in the brand. Also when you’re self-employed it is very important to clarify working hours - to be in work mode and then in non-work mode - many self-employed people find it hard to switch off work at 5pm. So that can be difficult. Setting up a business is easy, building a profitable brand is a challenge, but it’s all about vision, hard work and planning.
What were your objectives when producing your ranges (Pinky Jewellery and Claire Aristides)?
Both my lines have a commonality of being feminine, excellent value and quality. My signature style within both brands is colour; I love mixing tones and hues! I’ve always been influenced by 50s designers like Miriam Haskell and Elsa Schiaparelli; they were both famous classic designers who really evolved the costume jewellery world, creating stunning pieces.
My Claire Aristides range focuses on lots of crystals, semi-precious stones and precious metals; I do a lot of one off designs in this line. Pinky Jewellery is more for daywear – it’s my fun and playful brand where I can bring together lots of crazy acrylic shapes in wonderful colours, or create rich colourful mixes of painted wooden beads. I want both of my jewellery collections to make people feel special; I like to create pretty feminine pieces that someone will feel special in, enjoy wearing and, of course, get compliments.
What inspired the workshops and kits?
I started the workshop about two years ago, running a 2-hour course in the evenings. Word spread very quickly! We changed the format to a 1-day course that we run twice a month; they always sell out.
The kits are a perfect introduction into jewellery making and we’ve had an amazing response to them on our website. We have kits for all skill levels and budgets. They’re fun, help produce lovely and fashionable jewellery similar to the pieces you would buy from a department store, and the instructions are easy, straightforward and will guide you to make stunning pieces! They give people their own creative licence, but also give guidance on the basic skills and techniques.
How did you promote your business?
Word of mouth has been incredible in promoting the workshops. We have also done promotions with magazines like EVE and InStyle, which have been very successful. We don’t need to advertise as we get great press coverage. I recently appeared on television in Sydney showing the presenters how to make jewellery, which was hilarious, and we’re still getting hundreds of orders from this!
What other factors do you feel contributed to your success?
I think being dynamic and flexible are important; if something is not quite working then you need to recognize that and make a change. Many businesses forget to adapt, when the business world is always changing.
What do you hope to achieve with your upcoming book?
The book is the first of its kind - beautifully photographed and stylized; it offers the readers over 30 stunning designer jewellery pieces to make. It’s the first technical ‘how-to’ book that has a strong fashion focus. All the designs are wearable and suit a variety of occasions. I think people will love it. The book is being published in both the USA and UK and I think it’s going to be a great hit.
What are your future plans?
I want to keep making beautiful jewellery and sharing the jewellery bug with a big audience. This includes expanding the school nationally through UK, and then abroad. I loved putting the book together so another book is planned also, as well as expanding the kits internationally.
Find out more about Claire's collection at www.clairearistides.com and see her beautiful collection for yourself.
