Stephanie Carlton designs and creates Ceramic Jewellery under the name Clay Shed Studio. The studio on the border of Suffolk and Norfolk is a converted clay-lump shed at the end of the garden where she creates ceramic jewellery, ceramics and prints.

The ceramic jewellery ranges are an extension of her other work in ceramics and printmaking. Themes that link across all her work are mark marking, and the history of making the object itself, recorded in its form and the nature of its surface.  There are certain motifs which she uses time and time again; repetitive patterns combined with fluid expressive brush marks, that explore contrasts in colour, light and shadow or evoke abstracted landscapes.

The jewellery pieces are clean and modern with an emphasis on the surface and shape. The unique decorative finish is created using printmaking and resist layering techniques along with hand-painting designs onto the pieces. Each one is designed as an individual wearable artwork in miniature, made to look crisp and contemporary.

The pieces are formed from raw clay, either stoneware or porcelain, hand cut and shaped, fired to 1000 degrees, glazed and fired again to around 1240 degrees, making them extremely strong. Some pieces have gold lustre added in a third firing process. 

The metal ear wires and loops are shaped by hand, each style and shape carefully chosen to maximise the visual impact of the jewellery.  

Stephanie has a BA Hons in Fine Arts Painting and Printmaking from her native Australia and moved to the UK in 2003 where she worked in arts conservation for 16 years. She is now focusing her time on her studio practice.