20 Inspirational Ideas for Polymer Clay Earrings

Artists are always on the hunt for new media from which they can extract their visions. Polymer clay is just simply perfect for that, and if you’re here looking for inspirational ideas for creating cute new gifts, trinkets, or jewelry, you are in the perfect place!

As it turns out, polymer clay earrings are easy to make and polymer clay provides such a wealth of flexibility for your creative inspiration to run free. It’s also a medium that’s easy to manipulate and perfect for both adults and kids!

Polymer Clay and Art Projects: Perfect Together

If you need a few creative ideas for polymer clay earrings that will kickstart your creativity, check out some of these - you can easily use polymer clay as a medium to create these because high-quality polymer clay is easy to work, mix and form and will stay flexible until you bake it. Not only will it remain flexible till you bake it, but you can also bake it right at home.

Get creating with some of these wonderful ideas for polymer clay earrings!

• Mimic the effect of a gemstone

Do you love the look of pearl, onyx, or rose quartz earrings? Do you like the complexity of malachite or lapis lazuli? Some of these gemstones and semi-precious stones can be carefully mimicked with the right choice of polymer clay. Simply pick out your colors, mix them, and then devise a pattern that most closely mimics the effect of the gemstone you wish to effect. Remember, the simpler the grain, pattern, or texture of the stone, the easier it will be for you to copy it. Start out with simple, opaque stones like marble, onyx, jet, or malachite before taking on more complex patterns.

• Get seasonal with your inspiration

You can also create cute little seasonal patterns and holiday-themed polymer clay earrings. It all depends on the time of year and the celebration of the season. For Thanksgiving you could create a cornucopia or a turkey or a pie; at Christmas, you could craft little Christmas ornaments, trees or stars, or something like a Poinsettia that is bright green and red.

Around Easter time you could craft little bunnies or eggs in light pastel colors, and for Halloween, a holiday that is very welcoming of costumes and costume jewelry, you can break out the black, orange, and yellow polymer earrings and whip up little crescent moons, black cats, jack-o’-lanterns or spiders.

• Follow a coastal design trend

One of the more creative inspirations you can follow in the design of polymer clay earrings is a coastal one. This is perfect if you have coastal or tropical themes throughout your home or the test of your wardrobe. You can very easily create little shells - like clam, scallop or conch shells - from polymer clay, although you could also create miniatures of other sea life and tropical themes as well. Stick to the neutral sand tones and light tropical colors for this craft.

• Beauty in geometry

Don’t forget that a pair of polymer clay earrings are not just a marvel of color. Shape and movement can also help you make a statement, and you can do this in one color or by carefully balancing your overall aesthetic. Consider a harmony of differently sized shapes and geometric patterns or create contrast by juxtaposing a few different ones. Remember, smooth curvature and harsh angles will often create a pleasant contrast.

• Create a pattern

You can also create a pattern using polymer clay and a few simple tools. You’ll need at least two colors for this but you can increase the complexity of the pattern or the inclusion of colors as you see fit. Go with something simple like a waveform, or create a houndstooth or herringbone effect. Mimic the look of jigged bone or tilework. You can also recreate the impression of a faceted gemstone with polymer clay, which is an effect that looks really cool, even with opaque colors.

• Don’t forget the power of texture! Color only paints a portion of the picture

With such a beautiful palette of colors to choose from in our Papa’s clay, it can be all too easy to forget the value that texture can add. To tell the truth, as a three-dimensional project, you can create almost whatever impression you want to make using texture alone.

Pick one color and have at it. Create impressions using a template, craft a negative relief impression using another object, or just scribble your own inspiration onto the clay surface. You can make it stand out however you like - you can even try recreating the appearance of the surface of the water.

• Follow a nautical inspiration

Live by the sea? Drawn to nautical inspirations? There are plenty of ways to instill that old-time vibe in a pair of polymer clay earrings. Create a little miniature of a sailing ship or restyle common motifs like lighthouses, anchors, and buoys - making sure you capitalize on colors that are present throughout the trend.

• Draw from the well of Southwestern influence

You can also draw from the well of Southwestern influence to create western “themed” polymer clay earrings. Create a classic Southwestern chevron pattern using turquoise blue and bright, sandstone oranges, pinks, and reds. Get fully into the swing of it by crafting miniature likenesses of Western boots, arrowheads, feathers, or even cacti. There’s no limit to this - only what you can envision and would like to create!

• Create a floral arrangement in polymer clay earrings

Polymer clay is also a great medium to use for recreating the natural beauty of floral patterns. Whether you are faithful to the natural colors of flowers or you create a neutral or monochromatic recreation is up to you, but you can craft beautiful likenesses of roses, carnations, honeysuckles, lilies, florets and so much more. With so many flowers to choose from and so much freedom in the form of color, you can craft a new pair for every outfit.

• Pattern them based on another piece of jewelry that you love

Another great little trick for crafting polymer clay earrings is to use them to match another piece of jewelry that you already know and love. If you have a necklace or a bracelet or a ring in your jewelry chest that you really love, but have never been able to find a mate for it, take matters into your own hands and make your own.

Follow either the color scheme, the patterning, or the geometry of this piece of jewelry and you can make a match for it that will have a truly bespoke presence.

• Foliate patterns are beautiful too

The natural world offers so much inspiration for the design. Consider making a set of clay earrings that draw from nature’s verdure in order to make its impression. You can create something as simple as a single red maple leaf or as ornate as the likeness of a whole tree. Similarly, some plants have beautiful, showy foliage that can produce a variety of different effects when distilled into clay. Consider also the fact that green jewelry is somewhat rare and that the color has an overall calming effect that is very novel.

• Hearts, feathers, and other popular motifs

You can also use polymer clay as a blank slate on which to reimagine common themes, patterns, and motifs. Common imagery such as hearts and feathers can easily be recreated in polymer clay, and there is a great deal of variety in even the most common of these. Play around with the colors you’re pairing and you might be able to come up with something that’s very unique.

Additionally, you can use polymer clay to create a variety of personal or patriotic symbols based on your interests and the setting.

• Religious and cultural symbols are easy to recreate!

Looking for a creative way to add a personal touch that displays your faith? Many cultural, local, and religious symbols are simple and easy to affect using only just one color. You can create a cross or a fish or even something like a regional or state symbol using polymer clay. Stars, flags, and other icons are easy to create in polymer clay, whether you use only one color or you create similar likenesses.

• Memorialize or immortalize a precious pet

If you have a beloved pet - furred, feathered or scaled - you know that these are members of your family. Either you understand that or you don’t - but one way or the other you can memorialize or immortalize these members of your family in polymer clay. Create a miniature of your pet or make a pawprint or something of that nature. You’re limited only by creativity, but you can create a memory that will remain with you forever.

• Match the earrings to the rest of your outfit’s design

Just like you can match polymer clay earrings to some other fixture of your outfit, you can also match them to an outfit. If you have a favorite top, bag, hat, or jacket that you just can’t seem to match, get out the polymer clay, some tools, and your creativity. Use the same tips offered for pairing your earrings to your other jewelry and soon you’ll have a custom-made match.

• Earth, sea, sky: natural tones and elements

Working with polymer clay presents you with a bunch of easy DIY solutions for unique jewelry. This one is an easy one. Key in on a single aspect of nature, like the color of the sky, the pattern on the surface of a rock, or a shape and appearance of the clouds, for example, and then see if you can “redo” that in polymer clay. It will result in a somewhat bohemian pair of earrings - but that may suit you well, given your preferences.

• Create a pinwheel or a false tassel

Another really unique idea for making clay shapes is to make a pinwheel or a false tassel. Both of these are really unique for polymer clay earring shapes because they give the appearance of fluidity but will remain steady despite your movements.

Roll out a few thin strands of polymer clay and then form them together to create the appearance of a tassel that will defy wind and movement, or spiral them together to create a pinwheel that will produce a similar effect. Handmade polymer clay jewelry like this is nearly certain to generate compliments and turn heads.

• A lovely gradient won’t fail to turn heads: and it’s easy!

One of the easiest effects you can produce in a pair of polymer clay earrings is a simple gradient, which can either be blended or stepped. Simply choose two colors - they can be similar if you wish the effect to be soft - and then you can blend them carefully to create a gentle grade of color. Pick a shape, a texture, and go from there!

• Black and white for the win

The stark contrast between black and white is as pleasant as it is jarring. One of the easiest ways to create an attention-grabbing design is by swirling or rolling black and white together, although you can create sharper contrast with designs that are pressed together and not blended.

• Create a miniature of your favorite motif

If you have a favorite animal, symbol, or shape, you can easily create a miniature of it using polymer clay. This also makes a great gift idea, because you can offer something truly personalized that is difficult if not impossible to buy without placing a customer order. 

• Complimentary colors create a character!

One more idea for inspiration is that you can create a lot of “pop” using complementary colors - that is, blue and orange, red and green, and yellow and purple, respectively. These colors make each other appear brighter when used together and whenever you get a chance or you need a creative trick to make them look bolder, brighter, and more apparent, use this one!

Creating Polymer Clay Earrings

While the right set of tools and a collection of earring parts are helpful for creating polymer clay earrings, your most important asset is your creativity. It’s helpful for you to have earring posts, clay cutters and jewelry pliers on hand, as well as a rolling pin and forming and cutting tools to help you cut the earrings. You’ll also need a quality brand of clay-like our Papa’s Clay.

Don’t forget that you can also make other jewelry out of polymer clay, such as necklaces and polymer clay beads. Please get in touch with us using our contact form or by calling us at 314-762-1434 if you have any questions about our clay, baking the clay, or what you can make from it. Pretty soon, you’ll be creating polymer clay designs that will be the envy of most any jewelry designer!