AstleyClarke.com is an online boutique selling precious and semi-precious jewellery

Jewellery

Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...

 from exclusive designers in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 and Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

.

History

AstleyClarke.com was founded by Bec Astley Clarke in June 2006, who wanted to give international jewellery designers

Jewelry design

Jewelry design is the art or profession of creating, crafting, fabricating, or rendering designs for jewelry. This is an ancient practice of the goldsmith or metalworker that evolved to a billion-dollar industry with the odyssey from ancient cultures into the machine age...

 more exposure to customers in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. Astley Clarke was established, and an appointment only showroom located in Bayswater

Bayswater

Bayswater is an area of west London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to the west . It is a built-up district located 3 miles west-north-west of Charing Cross, bordering the north of Hyde Park over Kensington Gardens and having a population density of...

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 was opened. Alongside the land based shop, Astley Clarke also runs a web based branch to the business.

History of Owner

Rebecca Astley-Clarke started her career as a management consultant at Andersen Consulting specialising in electronic business, she went on to become the Commercial Director of iVillage.co.uk. In 2004 she was made Head of Non-Retail Strategy at Tesco.com

Tesco.com

Tesco.com is an electronic commerce website operated by Tesco. As well as being the world's largest online grocery retailer, it offers a wide range of other products, including electronic goods, books, broadband and financial services....

. After working for Venrex, the Venture Capital fund and researching the space further, Rebecca Astley-Clarke launched AstleyClarke.com.

Astley Clarke were subsequently backed by Index Ventures

Index Ventures

Index Ventures is a venture capital investment firm based in Geneva, Switzerland, with offices in London, Jersey, and starting in 2011, Silcon Valley. The firm was founded in 1996 by Neil Rimer and Giuseppe Zocco. Since its inception, the firm has raised four main venture funds and a growth...

 and a consortium of online and luxury retail investors in April 2008.

Recent Company History

In 2008 Astley Clarke launched a competition

Competition

Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...

 called ‘Search for a new Designer 2008’, with London designer Laura Hayward emerging as the winner. Laura Hayward’s jewellery collection features designs in 18ct gold and gemstones.

Previous Designers

Previous designers included English jewellery designer, socialite and former model Jade Jagger

Jade Jagger

Jade Sheena Jezebel Jagger is an English jewelry designer, socialite and former model.-Early life:Jagger was born in Paris, France. She is the only child of Bianca , a Nicaraguan-born actress and philanthropist, and Mick Jagger, an English musician and actor...

, daughter of world renowned musician Mick Jagger

Mick Jagger

Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....

. Other notable designers include British jewellery designer and anthropologist Pippa Small, Carolina Bucci

Carolina Bucci

Carolina Bucci is a jewelry designer and synonymous jewelry brand. Originally from Florence, Italy, Carolina Bucci now lives in London, UK.----- Education and Background :...

, John Apel, Laura Gibson, Philippa Holland, Vinnie Day, Monica Vinader, Dana Kellin and many more

Awards

In 2007 Astley Clarke were voted Walpole’s Luxury Brand of Tomorrow

In 2008 Astley Clarke were voted ‘Jewellery Website

Website

A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...

of the Year 2008’ by Retail Jeweller.