Claire O Jewellery

Skim through to about 2:30 to see Camille from Koh Samui talk about Claire O Jewellery and one rather special celeb customer... This video was taken from Grazia Magazine (www.graziadaily.co.uk) to promote their Easy Chic Weekclaireo.co.uk
is now up and running and open for business - click claireo.co.uk
to buy Claire O Jewellery. Claire O Jewellery is also available at Koh Samui, Covent Garden and Constructive Lives, Portobello Road.
Introducing.....The Goddess Necklace
Check out Claire O in the September isue of UK ELLE magzine
Who is Claire O? Well, she lives in Dalston, she makes jewellery and her necklaces featured in Time Out’s first issue of 2008 in the fashion section’s “We love” column. But who exactly is she?
“Claire O is like a code name – she’s whoever you want her to be,” says the designer speaking from her studio. “Inevitably people will say, “you mean like Karen O from the YeahYeahYeahs?” and that’s true to some extent but Claire O’s been around for a long time. You could equally say, “like Jackie O?” and I’d say yes.”
So a little bit rock n roll nymphette, a little bit polished first lady? That’d be right. Using the finest materials from Swarovski crystal and sterling silver chain to semi-precious stones and freshwater pearls with whatever else she finds on her way such as charms, ribbon and leather thong, Claire O weaves her magic.
“Magic is definitely important for Claire O. Modern life can be so tedious – we’ve lost the power to wonder at things. In German they say “entzauberung” which means “unmagicking”. Glamour and fetish are two words that really inspire the creative process and interestingly they both have archaic meanings related to witchcraft and sorcery. Claire O is here to bewitch you.”
So where does Claire O get her ideas from?
“Oh, everywhere. I used to read scientific journals when I was a kid just to look at the pictures of space – there’s a lot of art in science and I don’t have time for people who want to seperate the two. I’m also really into folklore, myth and fairy tales – where our ideas come from as a tribe and how we form archetypes from stories. Stories and the power to imagine are so important for the human race.”
Wow, that’s rather profound for a jewellery designer!
“Well, unfortunately fashion can become rather frivolous and wasteful and I think there is a deeper meaning behind wanting to define yourself through clothing – it’s quite tribal really. Jewellery is seen as something of a luxury but originally, jewellery would have been worn as a talisman for protection or to identify yourself as part of a certain people. I like the idea of death being ever present, hence why the skull is such a frequent motif in my work. In Tibet or Mexico, it’s not a frightening concept to accept that death and The Dead are everywhere. In the West we associate skulls with Goths and it’s all a bit macabre – I like to use bright colours to counter this. In terms of a muse, let’s just say I’m leaning more toward Frida Kahlo than Marilyn Manson.”
So, there you go, now you know who Claire O is. What, you want her identity? Now that would be telling.
What Time Out London says about Claire O:
“We Love: Skullerflys. Sparkly stones combined with skulls? No, not the latest Damien Hirst offering but our favourite new necklaces from Claire Storrow. A little bit Claire’s Accessories, a little bit frightening-stall-at-Camden Market, these skullerfly necklaces are worn by CSS’s quirky frontwoman Lovefoxxx and the perfect way to add a touch of Tutankhamun to your outfit.”