About Embergrass:
Embergrass Jewelry was founded in July 2011 by Claire Smith as a small Etsy shop.
The jewelry is almost exclusively made from copper and each piece is completely handmade by Claire. The copper is textured by hammering or etching and then many pieces are given a rustic finish with a patina – either by flaming or waxing.
Embergrass Jewelry is designed to offer a unique, contemporary style to provide the finishing touch to an outfit. The designs are all strikingly simple and range from subtle and delicate everyday wear, to bold statement pieces for special occasions.
The name ‘Embergrass” originates in two parts: ‘Ember’ represents the flame process of soldering and patinating, ‘grass’ represents the wild and natural inspirations behind the designs.
About Claire:
I was born and grew up in the British countryside where, at an early age, I picked up a love of art and crafting from two very creative parents. I loved to draw and paint, make cards, decorate cakes, make and paint models… anything creative.
Despite sidelining creativity to pursue a degree in Chemistry and then a career as a Science teacher, it resurfaced eventually when, in 2009, I moved to San Francisco with my fiance. Much of my wedding was handmade by me (invitations, flowers, cake decorations), including all of the jewelry for myself and my bridesmaids. I enjoyed making jewelry so much and I got so many compliments on the pieces I made so I decided to continue with it.
All of my jewelry-making skills are self-taught and my style has evolved as I developed those skills. In 2011 I finally felt like I had a cohesive style and unique enough items to begin selling my work.
I fell in love with the countryside as a child and I would move out of the city in a heartbeat. All of my inspiration still comes from the wild and organic aspects of nature, dramatic windswept coastlines, tiny flowers in a meadow, the smooth, clean lines of leaves… even the geometric, industrial shapes all have that patina that says mother nature will reclaim them someday.
Additional Projects
I am a member of the SF Etsy Team, where I contribute to the team blog and host a regular tweetchat every Tuesday to discuss topics relating to the business of running an Etsy shop.
I offer customisable templates for Storenvy users, product photography and online store graphics in my other store.
My photographs are available to purchase from Society6 and deviantArt