Polymer clay earring ideas are a cornerstone in crafting; they help get your creative juices flowing and arm you with some great designs for your earring making hobby.
I’ve compiled the following 25+ design ideas from my personal polymer clay earring collection, to get your mental gears turning and to hopefully help inspire you for the next time you sit down at your crafting table.
I’m going to cover food related designs, floral designs, weird designs, symbols and more. Read on for a visual ideas guide to help you create your own polymer clay earring collection.
This post may link to online stores. If you click a link and buy something, I may get a commission. Learn more.
Food Polymer Clay Earring Ideas
1. Donut earrings
These donut earrings look good enough to eat and are actually surprisingly simple to make.
Once you’ve made the dough-coloured base for the earring, choose whichever coloured icing you like and have fun deciding on your sprinkle combination. Like something out of the Simpsons, these donut earrings and funny cute, and most importantly a bit weird! Definitely a conversation starter, and they proved really popular on Instagram too.
If you would like to give these a go, here’s a breakdown of how to make them, along with the other food-inspired earrings I’ll be discussing below:
2. Avocado earrings
Add a favourite salad ingredient to your earlobes with these quirky avocado earring designs! Avocados are a popular health food and are a stunning creamy green, which makes for really cute and bright earrings.
Glaze the avocado seed with some polymer clay varnish to give it a realistic touch. Little details like this really make earrings pop and add a pretty finish.
I layered three colours of green to create the avocado body; dark green for the skin, a medium green for the main flesh and a yellowy green for the central part, to mimic the gradient changes in a real avocado.
3. Fried egg earrings
Fried egg earrings are quite popular in the polymer clay crafting community, and Ive seen many crafters give them a go and offer a variation of the theme in their Etsy shops and other online stores.
I designed the above with realistic crispy details from pan frying and a glossy yolk, which I achieved with a little polymer clay varnish.
These are unusual and playful, and will be a stand out piece in your jewellery box. Chic is out, bizarre is in!
4. Cookie earrings
You can almost smell the fresh baked scent of these realistic cookie earrings.
I added some varnish to the chocolate chips to make them look as gooey and melt-in-your mouth as possible, and I stippled the surface of the dough coloured clay with a pointed tool to achieve a crunchy-looking biscuit effect.
If you give these a go for yourself remember to keep small parts away from children.
Find a tutorial on these here.
5. Lollipop earrings
Colourful, spiralled, and bow-adorned, these lollipop earrings are a lot of fun. Add all the excitement of the carnival to your ears with these vibrant drop earrings.
As polymer clay is so lightweight don’t shy away from making slightly larger earrings like these, as you’ll be able to wear them just fine. Give these a go and have a blast doing it!
These are actually a pair I didn’t make myself, I bought them from a friend on Instagram. She used real lollipop sticks in the centre of the designs, to add a charming touch of realism to the sweets.
Flower Polymer Clay Earring Ideas
1. Rose earrings
A favourite flower for many, the rose is a classic gift and instantly recognised.
Polymer clay roses are no exception and conjure the same romantic feelings as the real life flowers. These would make the perfect gift, product for your Etsy store or as a treat for yourself.
They are really easy to make, and only require one colour of polymer clay. I chose a cerise pink, but a red, white or yellow rose would also prove popular.
For a tutorial on how to make them and the following floral earrings in this article, check out my step-by-step instructions here:
2. Hyacinth earrings
These hyacinth earrings were really popular on my Instagram account, gaining lots of likes and attention from the polymer clay community, which indicates they would do really well as an Etsy product, if youre looking to create earrings to sell.
They’re beautiful and have trendy ‘cottagecore’ vibes. For all of the fans of quaint English flower gardens, these earrings will be a sure hit.
I reinforced the stems with long earring anchors, and created loads of little clay balls, which I pressed the centres of to form the flower pods. They’re much simpler to make than they look!
3. Daisy earrings
Spring is just around the corner in the UK as I’m sat writing this, and these daisy earrings are certainly inspired by the turn of the season.
Fresh and pretty, these flowers embody the quintessential spring-time aesthetic, and look gorgeous on. I made them quite large, but you could scale them down to look like real daisies.
The great thing about polymer clay is it’s so light, so you can make larger versions of your favourite flowers without worrying about them pulling on your earlobes.
4. Sunflower earrings
Colourful earrings are the best in my opinion, as they really make a statement and can brighten up any outfit. Sunflowers are a sunny summer staple that have been printed on our clothes and accessories for years; so why not wear them as earrings?
These earrings only require two colours of clay to make – a bright sunny yellow for the petals and a dark brown for the centre of the flowers. Super easy, you can find the tutorial here.
5. Daffodil earrings
Another spring staple, the daffodils are a favourite in the UK for Easter celebrations, and they bring joy to our homes each year.
Add that feeling to your ears with these sweet daffodil earrings – they’re definitely smile-inspiring.
Very simple to make, and they only require three colours of clay. The petals are made in the same way as the sunflowers, and the funnel is simple too; roll out a circle of clay, and then fold it into a funnel shape to form the centre of the flower. Add tiny balls of white for realistic details, and bake them to perfection.
Fruit Polymer Clay Earring Ideas
1. Banana earrings
A favourite fruit for many, bananas are tasty, vibrant and tropical. Plus they make really cute earrings.
These quirky open-peeled bananas are ripe and ready to jazz up your outfit. They’re my favourite out of the fruit bunch and I think they’re a great conversation starter.
Make the bananas first, and then add the banana peel, making sure to add little brown details if you want these fruits to look ripe like mine. Take a pointed tool and stipple the banana first, before adding the peel.
Here’s the full instructions on how to make the banana earrings, along with the fruit earrings below in this article:
2. Coconut earrings
Go nuts for these coconut earrings, with realistic details and a charming finish.
They are so easy to make too, only requiring white and brown clay, a ball-ended tool and a pointed tool. The details are achieved by adding small lines over the shell, and then finishing the design with three dots on the underside, just like a real coconut.
Check out the article I linked above, for a full step-by-step guide to making these unusual coconut pieces.
3. Apple earrings
The Hungry Caterpillar meets the juicy red apple from Snow White in this cute earring mash up.
Eye-catching and weird, these apple earrings are sure to make a splash in your Etsy store, or as a funny gift for your friends.
They are light on the earlobes and secure with a earring anchor, for the sturdiest design possible. The caterpillar is baked on with polymer clay glue, so it won’t snap off easily.
Quick to make, I’ve included a tutorial for these earrings here.
4. Lemon earrings
Wear two cute lemons as earrings and add a citrus twist to your jewellery box.
I wanted these to be as tiny and dainty as possible, with realistic stems, blossom ends and leaves, with a stippled peel. I love super tiny earrings, that look like they belong in a dollhouse, as they’re so endearing to look at and wear.
I made these with my fingertips, without any special tools (barring a pointed tool for stippling the peel), which proves how simple they are to make.
Check out the tutorial for these earrings here.
5. Orange earrings
Following on with the citrus theme, these orange earrings pair so nicely next to the lemon earrings in my jewellery box. Warmer than their yellow counterparts, these citrus fruits add a summer feel to any outfit.
Miniature fruits looks so cute when worn, and these oranges will add a pop of vibrant colour to your look.
Create two balls of orange polymer clay and stipple them with a pointed tool. Make the stem and leaves and add them to the design by slotting the stem into a little hole in the top of the oranges – easy!
6. Raspberry earrings
Raspberries are fascinating to look at, made up from loads of tiny little seed pods to form a mesmerising natural piece of art. I wanted to replicate this with two flat raspberry designed earrings, with a slight gradient in the berries to mimic the real thing.
I made these to scale, as though I had sliced a real raspberry in half to create two earrings.
They came out really well, and they were therapeutic to make, as each pod was so satisfying to shape and glue onto the base. They look great, why not give them a go for yourself?
7. Watermelon earrings
Add fresh summer fruit to your ears with sliced watermelon earrings.
They’re juicy and bright, and look lovely on. The little seeds add a cute touch of detail and are quick to make; roll out a fine string of black polymer clay and slice it into teeny little seed shapes. Press them against the body of your watermelon slice – you shouldn’t need to use glue as they will be sticky enough to attach the the base and will fuse during baking.
I created the rind with a marbled slab of light and medium green clay, which I found to be the easiest way of mimicking the natural tonal shifts in watermelon rind.
Check out the tutorial here.
8. Strawberry earrings
Strawberries are an iconic fruit and are used in fashion all of the time. This year Lirika Matoshi’s famous strawberry dress was trending everywhere in the fashion world, proving just how beautiful these little fruits can be.
I didn’t make this pair, I bought them a long time ago; they were actually my first pair of polymer clay earrings, and I loved them as soon as I put them on.
These would be fairly simple to make, and would sell great in an Etsy store.
Heart Shaped Earring Ideas
1. Sleep heart earrings
These sleepy heart earrings were created by aj.earrings and are so quirky. They stand out in my jewellery collection and I’m charmed by the little sleeping faces.
These were cut from a pink clay slab using a heart shaped cutter, and then the face was painted on with a red acrylic paint after baking.
If you are new to painting polymer clay, I have a guide here:
2. Lip heart hoop earrings
These lip heart hoop earrings were made by blur and bake, and were one of my Christmas presents from family. They are so cool, as they incorporate pop art style lips and a hot pink heart, proving just how creative you can get with heart shaped earrings.
Heart shaped earrings are popular on Etsy, Instagram and other online stores, as they have a charming and romantic connotation. The heart shape is an iconic symbol, recognised in cultures globally as symbolising love, joy and romance.
Push your creative boundaries and try out designing heart shaped earrings for yourself.
3. Happy/sad heart face earrings
I made these happy and sad faced heart earrings using some neon polymer clay, and they were actually the first pair of polymer clay earrings I made.
Adding funny faces to your designs can really upgrade them, making a funny statement or adding a cute accent to your design.
I love bright neon clay, as it’s so eye-catching, and shows that the sky is the limit when it comes to picking a colour for your heart shaped designs. I created these using a heart shaped cutter, by pressing it into the slab of orange clay.
For more info on polymer clay cutters and how they can really level up your earring game, check out my guide here:
Weird Polymer Clay Earring Ideas
1. Cow print jumper earrings
Try out a quirky design in your Etsy store or as gifts for your friends, with these odd cow printed jumper earrings.
They’re a conversation starter for sure, and the colour combination is really cool.
I added hot pink trims to the jumper, as I really liked the contrast to the black and white cow print. I created these by making a cow printed slab and using a jumper shaped cutter, to form the earring shape. Then I rolled out a long string of hot pink clay and divided it to fit the trims of the jumpers, pressing small indents into it for an extra ribbed detail.
2. Fried egg with face earrings
These funny fried egg earrings are best sellers in my Etsy store, proving really popular when I promoted them on Instagram.
These are another great example of how a little face can really add charm to your earring design, with a cute touch. I took photos of these next to real fried eggs, and the post really took off.
3. Christmas jumper earrings
I came up with these Christmas jumper earrings as a way to get more use out of my jumper shaped polymer clay cutters. They turned out great, and I added gold glitter and a green trim, to compliment the red and tie in the festive colours.
These too were really popular in my Etsy store, and as gifts for my friends and family. Why not give these designs a go for yourself around the holiday season?
4. No-face earrings
I’ve found that pop-culture related earrings do well on Etsy and as gifts for friends, and I couldn’t resist making these no-face from Spirited Away inspired earrings.
They look great and have a really unusual feel. What pop-culture related earring designs would you like to make?
Conclusion
I hope you feel inspired to try out some of the above polymer clay earring ideas for yourself, and your creative juices are following.
Polymer clay is such a fantastic material for earring crafting, and the possibilities are truly endless. It comes in just about every colour you can think of, can be cured at home in your own oven, and is malleable, making 3D designs super easy to achieve.
It’s my goal to make the world of polymer clay earring making as easy as possible, so I have created a whole host of guides for beginners.
For more information on crafting polymer clay earrings, check out the below:
I also provide articles on: a How-to Guide to make polymer clay earrings for beginners, a Sales Guide for selling polymer clay earrings on Etsy, a comprehensive Cost Guide, and a bumper list of earring Design Ideas, so you’re never stumped by clay-makers block!
Lorna is a footwear geek and the founder of Wearably Weird. She created a YouTube channel in 2021 for fellow footwear fanatics, dedicated to detail-rich footwear reviews and info. She has a fashion media qualification (awarded in 2011).