Evelyn Claude Designs

Gold Leaf Luxury

To see more of Evelyn's amazing story and her walking tour of Kanazawa, click through to our blog. In addition, Daily Grommet is donating 10% of today's sales of Evelyn Claude Accessories to the Red Cross Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Fund.

It’s not easy to reinterpret an ancient practice for a contemporary audience, but designer Evelyn Claude has achieved the perfect balance of traditional craftsmanship and modern aesthetics in her handmade jewelry.

The inspiration is an ancient Japanese technique called Kin-maki-e, where gold powder is dusted onto lacquered designs and polished, layer by layer, to create a fine sparkle. Evelyn has mastered the Kin-maki-e technique and applied it to an innovative paper-like material called Yupo, which she then carves into modern forms to make her distinctive jewelry pieces.

A New Yorker by birth, Evelyn moved to Japan 13 years ago and today is settled in the cultural center of Kanazawa, which sits on the Sea of Japan and is known for its abundance of gold leaf. We heard about her designs from Daily Grommet reader Lauren Scharf Homer, who has been wearing one of Eveyln’s bracelets – and fielding lots of compliments – for about a year.

“Evelyn Claude's jewelry is not only original and beautiful, it's environmentally friendly as well,” Lauren says. “It's reasonably priced and serves as an excellent conversation starter -- everyone who sees it wants to know more!”

We couldn’t agree more.

— Ann

• Cascade earrings: 2 pendants on each hoop, 0.8 x 4.1 cm, gold-filled wire hoops
• Dominion necklace: Pendant, 1.2 x 4.2 cm, lightly gold-plated Curb chain, 16 inch chain
• Seduction bangle: Three 1 cm width bands, fits up to a 7.5 inch wrist
• Made in Japan