our mission
and process

The artistic mission of Saint Claude is to imbue everyday adornments with significance and history, pushing the wearer to see more than what meets the eye in ordinary objects.

We use the ancient lost-wax technique, cire-perdue, to sculpt and mold our designs from wax before casting them in precious metals. The pieces themselves represent the duality of beauty and darkness so often found in our beloved city.

who we are

Sarah Killen Ellman is the artist and designer behind Saint Claude as well as the co-owner of the collection’s namesake boutique, Saint Claude Social Club. Sarah’s Saint Claude alias was derived from a street in the Bywater neighborhood where her first studio was located.

“When I moved to New Orleans fifteen years ago, I was determined to be a welder and make furniture because I love working with my hands, but the universe had something different in-store. In a Post-Katrina world, I was still searching for my place. After several different attempts, and not necessarily on purpose, Saint Claude was the natural marriage of all those tangible, artistic desires.”