Suzanne Claire

French Knitted. Crocheted. Stitched. Woven.

Suzanne Claire is a designer / maker of contemporary jewellery based at the edge of the Peak District in Bollington, Cheshire. Upon graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2008 with a BA (Hons) Three Dimensional Design, Suzanne set up her small business designing, making and selling jewellery through galleries, exhibitions and craft events countrywide.

Influenced by her surroundings in a picturesque, semi-rural mill town home and her travels further afield - from the decorative tiles of Spain and North Africa, to the lines and patterns in everyday settings hidden in plain sight. There’s always one common theme at the heart of Suzanne’s creativity - textiles.

“My love for all things colourful and craft-orientated blossomed during early childhood from observing two generations of women. I was inspired as a child, from my Mum, her Mum, my Great Auntie and my Nana. It was these same people who shaped my love of what today seems to be lost arts – sewing, knitting and other needle crafts.

My flourishing interest of metal work left me torn between jewellery making and textile art. Through time and experimentation, the two disciplines merged resulting in my textile inspired collections."

Using silver chain, wire and sheet metal as alternatives to thread, wool and fabric, Suzanne handcrafts beautiful tactile French knitted, crocheted, embroidered and woven jewellery. Each piece is characterised by a slinky movement and feel to the skin, or is visually enlivened by the manipulation of the original surface texture. Splashes of colour are added through semi precious beads and threads, giving each beautiful creation a playful quality.