Based in Margate, England, Grace combines her graphic design know-how and love of clay to create bright, personality-filled earrings.

Hello, who are you?
Hi, I'm a 27-year-old graphic designer based in the retro, seaside town of Margate. I slow make, small batch, statement, non-toxic polymer clay earrings for colourful creatives!

Does your background as a graphic artist help to inspire your earring designs?

One-hundred percent! Graphic design helps me create my earrings. I use my own personal interests in design to inspire my earrings – I love fashion, ceramics, pattern and colour! Having a background in design helps me organise my time as I'm used to working to tight deadlines, as well as how I use shape and colour in my work. I often plan my earrings before I make them, too, on my design software!

Earring making started off as a hobby for you. Did you expect Margate Bound to grow into the creative business that it is today?

No, not at all. I started it as a bit of fun and a hobby as I love big earrings myself. Then I had a great response from friends and family, so I did my first fair last Christmas. When lockdown started, I had a bit of extra time as I was no longer travelling to and from work. I set up an Etsy store and started selling what stock I had already created. I made a brand and that was it! I focused on advertising my earrings on Instagram and it just hit off! I am so pleased how popular my designs have been!!

What do you enjoy about working with clay?

What I love about clay is the versatility, that there is constantly something new to try and explore – you can bake stuff within it, you can use resin, you can mix any colour under the rainbow, glue things to it, add glitter… I’m constantly learning. It’s forever keeping me entertained!

How long does a pair of earrings usually take you to make?

I've never sat down and calculated how long a single pair takes, it also varies from piece to piece and the fact I usually make five or more pairs at a time. I usually work out my price from there, depending on the complexity of the style, and also the planning before – it takes me around an hour to condition and mix my clay, then a couple of hours to cut and bake. I do the sanding the following day or week, and that can take a few hours depending on each pair. I then also gloss or finish, then photograph to add them to the website. So for me, a batch of a new style can take me a month while I’m also working full-time, so in total, around four full days.