Fae & Flame Creatures - handmade folklore inspired polymer clay jewellery

Fae and Flame Creatures began not as a jewellery brand, but as an extension of my wider artistic practice as a set and costume designer. It is a space where folklore, prop-making, sculptural processes and storytelling come together at an intimate scale.

Before working with jewellery, my training and professional background focused on theatre design, scenography and costume. I have always been drawn to objects that hold narrative weight — artefacts that feel charged with memory, ritual or presence. Props and costumes, for me, are never purely decorative; they are carriers of meaning.

Fae and Flame grew out of that same question: What happens when theatrical design principles are applied to objects worn on the body?

From Theatre Design to Folklore Jewellery

In theatre and performance, objects often act as symbolic anchors — a mask that signifies transformation, a crown that embodies power, a prop that gains meaning through story and use. When I began working with hand-sculpted jewellery, I realised these ideas could exist beyond the stage.

Each Fae and Flame piece is created as a one-of-a-kind sculptural artefact, rather than a conventional accessory. I use techniques rooted in prop-making and model-making, including hand-sculpting, surface building, painting and detailed finishing.

I work without moulds, meaning every creature exists only once, with its own form, expression and character. This slow, hands-on process allows the work to remain tactile and intentional — closer to scenography than to commercial jewellery production.

Folklore as Research and Living Material

My work is deeply informed by Eastern European, British and Celtic folklore, where animals and hybrid beings often function as liminal figures — crossing boundaries between worlds, identities and states of being.

Growing up in Bucharest, Romania, I was surrounded by folk tales exploring themes of immortality, moral consequence, memory and death. These stories rarely present magic as something light or decorative; instead, it is complex, unsettling and transformative. That sensibility continues to shape my creative language.

Animals such as foxes, serpents and owls frequently appear in my folklore-inspired jewellery. They are not literal illustrations of myths, but interpretations of archetypes: guardians, tricksters, watchers and protectors. Symbolic elements like third eyes or worry-stone forms invite touch, grounding and reflection.

Rather than retelling specific stories, I am interested in how folklore feels — its ambiguity, intimacy and emotional weight.

Wearable Sculpture and Objects of Presence

A recurring theme in my practice is how objects can feel alive — or at least attentive. In costume and set design, this often happens through scale, texture and proximity to the body. Jewellery intensifies this relationship even further.

Fae and Flame pieces are designed to be held as much as they are worn. Some function as worry stones or talismans, intended to offer grounding or comfort during moments of transition. Meaning is never fixed; instead, each piece is open to personal ritual and interpretation.

In this way, the work sits between costume, prop and sculpture, blurring the boundaries between art object and everyday wear.

An Ongoing Artistic Practice

Fae and Flame is not separate from my work as a designer — it is an extension of the same practice. It allows me to explore materials, narrative and form on a smaller scale, while remaining closely connected to the body and to daily life.

Where theatre design is often temporary and collaborative, these wearable objects offer permanence and intimacy. They carry traces of process, touch and time — continuing their story long after they leave the studio.

At its core, Fae and Flame is about bringing myth back into the everyday, not as nostalgia, but as a living, evolving language — one that can still offer protection, presence and quiet wonder.