Pearls of swimming wisdom with Claudia Bradby

The funny thing about outdoor swimming is that what starts out as a hobby can take over and become, become part of your lifestyle. Rowan Clarke speaks to Claudia Bradby about how outdoor swimming is part of her identity.

To celebrate pearls being the birthstone of June, Claudia is kindly offering readers a 20% discount on her whole collection. Scroll to the bottom of this interview to find the discount code.

How much is swimming a part of your lifestyle at the moment?

I’ve just recently returned from a week working from home in Malta, where we chose our Airbnb based on its proximity to the best sea swimming spots, so that may give you a clue. My husband, our three adult kids, and I based ourselves there for the filming of a TV series based on one of my husband’s books – he writes thrillers, which I help with, particularly character development. Our kids always tease us mercilessly because our luggage is so heavy with all our swim kit. It’s ridiculous, but it’s a big part of where I orient myself to. And it’s a real joy that my husband loves swimming too.

I’m having some life coaching at the moment. One of the things it has clarified is that I need to be by the sea more regularly. Being able to work from home, I have pledged to base myself near the sea every 6-8 weeks, and see if this is something I could make a more permanent part of life.

Have you always needed a bit of blue in your life?

Swimming’s always been a part of my life. My mum was pregnant with me when she lived in Australia with my dad, who worked for the Australian Navy for a year. They literally lived on the beach. I’m pretty sure that’s why I love the sea so much.

We’re grown in a bag of water, aren’t we? And 70% of the world is covered by water. So I think we have a basic, prehistoric footing in water.

My mum’s parents were from Cornwall, so we took our holidays there. I loved bodyboarding and being in and out of the sea. I did a bit of competitive swimming at school in an outdoor swimming pool. And then I swam with my husband when we were first married. We lived in Belfast, and it was something we’d do every morning. Once I had my first child, I stopped until I turned 50, when, and this is going to sound a bit weird, as a treat to myself, I did my first ever triathlon.

What made you sign up for a triathlon?

I’d always wanted to do one, but the timing was never quite right. Actually, I signed up just after my husband had had a nervous breakdown. A friend, from when our kids were at school together, asked me round for a cup of tea to check in on me, which was really lovely. She told me that she’d signed up to do the Blenheim triathlon, and I told her that I’d always wanted to do one – so the long and short of it was she invited me to join her and another friend, Deborah. I quite like training for things, but I had been so intimidated by all the kit, swimming for more than 2 lengths in one go, and the transitions. Weird, looking back now.

About a month before the event, she urged me to join her and Deborah for a swim at the lake, explaining that swimming outdoors was completely different to swimming in a pool, and that I’d probably hold my breath and come up spluttering after about 100 metres, which I duly did.

What made you stick with outdoor swimming?

But after doing the triathlon, the thing that stayed with me, that I really loved, was swimming outside and the whole immersion in nature. I found it very meditative. My two friends went on to really go for it competitively with the triathlons, but I worked out that it wasn’t the competition element that I loved, it was the community, the nature and the connection with water that really got under my skin. And it is this that has brought so much to my life/ It is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Did that connection surprise you?

It was quite a revelation to me to not only rediscover swimming, but also to rediscover it in a way that fitted my life at that stage. I feel really lucky to have forged these strong bonds with the two women whom I started swimming with. And one other who joined us, plus a few extras along the way… We swim every Friday, and have done so since 2019. All of life has been chatted about, and the water has been our backdrop and catalyst.

You still do swim events and challenges – does that change the connection you feel?

No, it doesn’t change it at all because I retain the essentials that are really important to me about swimming – swimming in beautiful places, in places that perhaps I would never have visited otherwise, and sharing this with friends.

You did the Scilly Swim Challenge last year with Lorraine Candy. How was that?

My friendship with Lorraine, which again has been forged through this connection with the sea (sharing Daymer Bay as our go-to favourite place to swim), brought about the Scilly challenge. She messaged me the December before asking if I’d like to join her, to which the answer was “No! Horrible idea! But now you’ve asked me, I can’t not do it!”. And, wow, am I glad I said yes? It was epic! Honestly, the whole thing was just a joy. Doing the training alongside Lorraine and the great experts we were lucky enough to meet, you realise that so much of your doubt is in your head and isn’t real. And learning how to break down a huge task into manageable chunks is quite satisfying.

The water was so beautiful, the islands are magical, and despite the bad weather on the first day, we swam in sunshine, mostly. When I need to meditate, I go back to the long swim, the swell of the water behind me, swimming in a pod safely guarded by kayaks, but out in the clear deep water. Something I would never have been able to do two years ago. It was amazing. The jellyfish that came out of nowhere were a bit of a blow, but it’s a really well-organised, incredibly friendly event, and everyone seems to find their rhythm.

I loved the challenge of training for something – I like thinking about it, and I enjoy the discipline of a schedule. But more specifically, I have found in my 50s that I really enjoy learning new things and finding experts to help. And, of course, finding new friends in mid-life through events like this is an unexpected and joyous bonus. I honestly never thought I could swim 15km in 2 days. But I did.

We’ve talked a bit about your work. Can you tell us more about how you started making pearl jewellery?

25 years ago, I guess I helped pioneer a fresh approach to this oldest of gemstones at a time when there was little else beyond the tired twin set and pearl clichés. It all started when we were living in Hong Kong and my husband gave me a bit of jewellery for our wedding anniversary – the design was rather generic, and on taking it back to the shop, I really couldn’t find anything that resonated.

I’m quite curious, and I loved exploring the pearl and jade markets in Hong Kong, discovering all these different-shaped pearls that were unlike the traditional ones I’d come across before. Shortly after the anniversary debacle, I had a necklace made up for a friend of mine – a leather knotted necklace with some really lovely, organic-shaped pearls I had chosen, which she loved. This got me thinking… So when I came back to the UK later that summer, I spent a day researching pearls in London, but there was nothing beyond the generic twin set and pearls.

The penny dropped that there was scope to reinvent this most ancient of gemstones. It was shortly after the birth of our youngest child, and I had a real burst of energy – something to do with living abroad, with new horizons and help with the kids! So I started designing, and did private house sales in Hong Kong where I really learnt what worked and what didn’t. On returning to the UK in 2001, I managed to get taken on by Liberty, which was the start of the business proper. I remember photocopying the jewellery onto photographic paper – no digital cameras in those days!

What makes your jewellery so different from the traditional designs?

There wasn’t even the idea of a pearl hoop back in 2000, so from simple pearl hoops to more elevated designs that you will see in our latest Reykjavik Collection, my mission is to bring a fresh perspective to this most ancient of gemstones. Now, as a pearl jewellery expert (every design features freshwater pearls, precious silver, and gold metals), I like to think that we offer the best modern pearl edit, with something for everyone, at a great variety of price points.

All my designs are inspired by the world around us, from nature to water, from swimming to bees, which in turn has inspired our sustainability work. As members of 1% for the Planet, we donate 1% of all our sales to bee conservation. You can learn more about our sustainability here.

How does the ocean inspire your work?

I have a collection named Meditative Pearls, which was completely inspired by my swimming both in the sea and freshwater. I find the rhythm and breath work of front crawl very meditative, and swimming outside, all year round has really helped me get through the menopause. There is also a grounding connection with nature and the wider environment. I love that every time you take a breath, you might catch a glimpse of a dragonfly, or a beautiful flock of swans flying over the river beside the chalk-bottomed lake I mostly swim in.

I have tried to capture some of the spirit I feel when I am in the water in these designs – all of the designs are inspired by different elements I treasure. The Thalassa designs are lightly hand hammered to give a feel of light reflecting off the water, and they have a pearl cocooned in the middle; the chakra bar necklace alludes to the balance I find in the water, and our hero meditative pearl spinner, inspired by the Tibetan monks’ use spinning items to calm their minds, I find grounds and calms me in the way that swimming does.

Our most recent range, the Reykjavik Collection, was inspired by a trip to Iceland and the raw energy of nature in the landscape and the sea that I felt there. And Iceland is a land of water; swimming in the thermal pools, enjoying swimming outside while people hung out in the hot tubs alongside the pools was just incredible.

Added to this, the pearls I choose for each design are grown in freshwater mussels, so there’s also that lovely link back to water. Ironically, you shouldn’t wear your pearls in water – chlorine and sea salt can damage them because they’re quite porous, as well as being corrosive to the glue that fits each pearl onto its post.

You’re offering Outdoor Swimmer readers 20% off your jewellery for June – thank you!

Did you know that June has the pearl as its birthstone? Discover beautiful pearl silver and gold designs inspired by the raw power of nature and a love of swimming. Use our exclusive code OUTDOOR20 for your 20% off all our designs. Valid until July 1st 2025.