If you’re in the jewelry world, you haven’t been able to escape the explosion of polymer clay earrings. The use of the material dates back to the 1930s, but only in the last couple of years has it reached a crescendo of popularity among the masses. So, why have polymer clay earrings become so popular?
Why Are Polymer Clay Earrings Popular?
We all know what happened in early 2020. We all want to forget it, but we never will.
The pandemic was the push behind plenty of change the last couple of years for a whole host of reasons. People stayed home more, aspects of society shut down for periods of time, and for many, there was a reassessment of values. What is important to me? How do I want to spend my time?
Among the chaos, thousands of people – now trapped in their homes, perhaps unable to work, perhaps unable to socialize in the ways they once did – turned inward. With people still needing a creative outlet, they became resourceful and did what they could easily and cheaply from their own home. Polymer clay earrings have not been the only benefactors of these unique constraints, but it undoubtedly brought the boom.
Polymer clay isn’t especially expensive, and for those who are artistic enough to transform the material into something special, it’s a dream come true. As the pandemic raged, more and more creatives found solace in sculpting beauty through polymer clay. Now a couple years on, the polymer clay craze hasn’t worn off, and you can regularly catch people wearing their clay earrings out and about.
So, I Get Why It Started, But Why Has It Remained?
Good question, thanks for asking.
Polymer clay earrings wasn’t the only trend that popped up in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. With people stuck at home and generally losing their minds, plenty of weird and random things exploded in popularity, out of necessity or otherwise. Some of those trends didn’t survive much longer after 2020 (you don’t see as many DIY haircuts as you used to), but some have endured – polymer clay earrings are one of them.
But why? What is it about polymer clay earrings that has allowed them to remain popular after gaining the initial traction?
Because they have actual utility.
These Babies Are Light
First and foremost, polymer clay earrings are incredibly lightweight. The biggest pair of earrings we sell here at Red Leaves Studio weighs collectively less than that of a quarter. One of the biggest issues with earrings is the years of pulling it does to the earlobe. After wearing traditional earrings made from metal or gold for years and years, gravity does its job, and you end up with droopy, saggy ears that make you look like a basset hound. Don’t believe me? Go to your local nursing home and check out some earlobes; you’ll see what I mean.
Fortunately for the young people of today, if they want to wear earrings, polymer clay can save the day. You could wear earrings made from polymer clay for decades and not experience even a minimal amount of sag that traditional earrings guarantee. Not to mention, it’s simply a more enjoyable experience to not feel your ears being pulled toward the earth unendingly while you run errands, go to work, or dance the night away at the club – you don’t want anything weighing down those moves, or lack thereof.
Anything Is Possible
Polymer clay earrings also allow for unlimited creativity. If you can imagine a design, it can be concocted using clay, and in any color or tone your heart desires, too. The customization opportunities are off the charts with this stuff.
Are you going to find metal earrings that look like this? Or this? Or this? No. The answer is no. These designs are only possible with polymer clay.
Polymer clay is so malleable that it can also be used for necklaces, magnets, charms, and so many other wonderful things. The limit doesn’t even stop with earrings, though they do make for some pretty great accessories for your built-in listening devices.
The point is, artists can’t get creative with plastic or metal in the same way that they can with polymer clay, and buyers can’t get as creative with what they’re looking for with other mediums either. Anything is possible with polymer clay.
Cha-Ching
The third major reason that the popularity of polymer clay earrings has survived beyond 2020 is the price. Polymer clay isn’t too expensive, and the makers of these handmade works of art aren’t generally the biggest corporations out there; they’re not looking to squeeze you for every last dollar possible. Most polymer clay artists are regular people who are pursuing their hobby or trying to build their own business through authenticity (*cough* Red Leaves Studio *cough*).
Since the pandemic, more of the populace has realized that a select few have a large control of most wealth and power. More and more people are looking to support their fellow citizens and put their resources into small businesses and individuals who produce great things without a big, bloated budget behind them. That describes a good number of those of us who are working hard to produce earrings that will make their wearers feel like the incredibly beautiful people they are and bring out their best.
With the low barrier to entry, you don’t need to be a millionaire to start making polymer clay earrings. As such, the number of sellers has exploded, and their prices are pretty reasonable compared to other mediums. Quality polymer clay earrings can be found for as little at $10 if you attend the right craft show, and online, the prices usually come out to between $20 and $40 per pair (if you want cheaper crafts, go to craft shows – everything is always more expensive online!). If you can get a similar look without the weight and at a cheaper price, why wouldn’t people flock to it?
Will The Popularity of Polymer Clay Earrings Endure?
If 2020, the year polymer clay earrings rose to prominence, taught us anything, it’s that we can predict the future if we want, but we can never truly know what the future will hold. Thus, the answer to this question is impossible to give, but when you consider all of the positives to this medium for earrings, all signs seem to point to polymer clay earrings being here to stay.
Edited by Justin Meyer.