By Kayleigh White
I absolutely love quirky jewellery and often find myself looking for different pieces in vintage and charity shops, rummaging through odd bits and bobs to find the treasure, the unique items that are really special. Often, these come from unexpected places; my most treasured favourite ring, gifted to me by my parents as a leaving for university present, came from a vintage shop and is one of a kind.
Given my love for special and interesting jewellery, I was obviously ecstatic when I stumbled across Auri Designs by Char. Charlotte, who is 19 and currently training to be a hairdresser, came across resin art on social media and instantly decided to give it a go herself. She started off with just pendants, but currently makes resin earrings, keyrings and necklaces, with more designs and ideas in the works. They make amazing gifts or a perfect little something to treat yourself with, and are so reasonably priced with such excellent quality.
All of Charlotte’s designs are unique, stunning and really make a statement, and the flowers are all from her garden or the quiet little village where she lives in Somerset. Buttercups, forget-me-nots and wildflowers are collected on her evening walks and used in her original designs, and you can choose to customise by asking for colours and flowers of your choice. Often, customers choose flowers that have significance and meaning to them which is just so lovely; forget-me-nots are popular, as they represent true love and gifting them is promising to never forget to stop loving someone, which is such a beautiful sentiment. If you order a piece, I can guarantee you will not be disappointed; they really are one of a kind and have such a beautiful finish.
Charlotte is a naturally creative person, and she says that it helps to maintain good mental health to do something meditative and relaxing. She has always been passionate about drawing and photography, but Auri Designs by Char is something totally new and exciting to her. Her favourite pieces are the dinosaur earrings, which are available in 30 different colours! Now, I saw these and instantly fell in love with them; they are so cute and quirky, I wear them all the time and get so many compliments, with many people asking where they are from. They are so lightweight I always forget I’m wearing them, and they add an extra little something to my outifts. I personally love the rose gold ones – I can’t compare them to any other jewellery I own! I also have a custom necklace made by Charlotte; it is adorable and she perfectly encapsulated the colours and flowers I wanted in my design.
Charlotte draws her inspiration mostly from her family and friends, and she makes her designs with people in mind, considering how they would look on someone, or thinking up a piece of jewellery she could imagine someone she knows wearing. For example, her mum loves angels, so she includes them in some of her designs. As you can see, each piece is so singular and unusual, and it quite literally is made just for you. Inspiration also comes from custom designs, as it helps her to create other jewellery that might spark new interest. That’s what makes Auri Designs by Char so special – Charlotte really cares about her designs and what her customers want to see in their jewellery.
So, what lies ahead for Auri Designs by Char? Well, Charlotte is aiming to achieve a wider product range in the future, so there is something for everyone and anyone, regardless of age and gender. She would also love to make her business global; all of the flowers from her garden and her tiny village being worn all over the world is something that would be so magical. It is so important to support small businesses that are just starting out, especially for those who are so genuinely lovely and passionate about what they create and who love making people happy with their work. I am certain Charlotte will go far – she is wonderfully, extraordinarily talented and I can’t wait to see what she does next. She has just launched her brand new website which you can look at here, and she also has an Instagram page and Etsy shop where you can browse through all her designs. I will certainly be placing an order for more jewellery soon; I have my eye on a blue flower necklace and earring set that just has my name on it.
