Beauties in Brass
Meet Peat Design and their Creative founder...
Tucked away in the Beautiful Scottish Highlands, Peat Design is cleverly creating gorgeous geometric jewellery using raw brass. Dolly & Doe caught up with founder and designer Claire for some interesting chat about wearing brass and sending hugs...
Hello Claire, we love including your jewellery designs in our gift boxes and they have been really popular with our customers, can you tell us a little about what made you create Peat Design?
"Of course, after spending over a decade in the United States I moved back to the Highlands, and arrived home with a creative itch resulting in the start-up of Peat Design in 2019.
Everywhere I have lived (be it the rustic mountains of West Virginia, post-industrial Brooklyn, NYC, or the disjointed suburbs of Chicago) adds to Peat’s eclectic style. Our lives sometimes go in straight lines and sometimes take off in unexpected sharp angles. I try to represent the connection between people as their paths intersect using minimalist geometric designs.
Love that! Tell us about working with Brass...
''I have always been drawn to darker metals which is why I started working with brass. I’ve ended up really enjoying working with it. As someone who has skin sensitivities - I choose metal, findings and fixings all of which all nickel and lead free. Great for anyone with a sensitivity to those allergens.''
Do you have a top tip for us? How should our customers care for their Peat Design Jewellery?
"For me - I like the brass to darken a little. If you feel that your piece does darken over time and you’d like to brighten it up - I recommend placing your piece into a mix of lemon juice, salt and a little bicarbonate of soda for 2-3 mins. Rinse with water and dry thoroughly. Using a soft dry cloth or polishing cloth will add extra shine. Your necklace will look brand new! It's always worth remembering that jewellery can darken (tarnish) over time if it’s exposed to wet environments.. I recommend my customers avoid showering, bathing or swimming wearing their piece. I also recommend to avoid direct contact with lotions or perfume."
How about your best gifting tip?
"For me, when I buy a gift for someone, I make sure that the gift giving is not about me! It’s easy to get in the habit of buying a gift for someone based on what you’d want. We all buy things we like but to put it simply - gift giving is all about the recipient. Don’t make it about you. Everything is about the person you’re buying for. I wanted to create minimal affordable pieces that can be worn every day... a treat for your sister, your brother, your mum, your best friend... or a treat for yourself!
I think this year especially - we are all trying really hard to keep in touch with our loved ones. We’re trying to stay connected in any way we can. We’re buying gifts online, trying to support local small businesses if we can. And now more that ever, birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day have become even more important. It’s an extra special chance to say, I love you, I miss you and I can’t wait to hug you. Buying and sending the most thoughtful gift for those that we can’t see or hug - to show them how much you miss and love them is one of the few things we can do just now. It’s about putting in the thought, spending the time choosing a gift that you think they’d really really like."
Absolutely, well said, we are looking for those perfect gifts for the people we miss. Thank you for your words and for your designs!
We have added more of Peat Design's necklace range to our Dolly & Doe Gift Boxes so you can now choose exactly the right design! There will be more to come in the future too...
To see more of Peat Design check out their Etsy Store:
Minimal handmade jewelry from the Highlands of by peatdesign (etsy.com)