There's a reason people always stop at sunflower fields. Not always to take photos, necessarily, sometimes just to stand there for a moment and take it in. There's something about the scale of them, the weight of those big open faces all stretching towards the sun. It's hard to feel completely awful when you're standing in front of a patch of sunflowers.
I think about that a lot when I'm sculpting sunflower earrings. What it is about these flowers that can hold so much feeling? They've been painted by the greats over the centuries, grown by kids in primary school gardens and dried and pressed and carried at funerals and weddings alike. There's an almost-ancient air about our relationship with these cheerful flowers, and an extra something that you can't put into words, but it still feels personal somehow.
So no - a pair of sunflower earrings isn't just another pair of earrings. But it also doesn't have to be A Whole Thing. Once you've figured out the way to wear them that feels natural to you, you'll find yourself coming back to them over and over again.
Why sunflowers make such stunning jewellery
A lot of flowers are tricky to sculpt in a miniature version. The problem with roses is that they can lose some of their layers and depth when they're shrunk down. The problem with marigolds is keeping that perfect symmetry. But sunflowers seem to have this nearly perfect graphic quality about them that makes them instantly recognisable. You know when you see a sunflower... the ring of petals, the distinct centre that looks too flawless to have been engineered by nature, and of course that unmistakable shade of yellow.
Polymer clay is the material that finally made handmade sunflower jewellery look and feel the way it should. It's soft to work with, so each sunflower design can be sculpted in it's own unique way, not flat or printed, but layered, detailed and textured. Because polymer clay is blendable, the colour we create for our sunflower earrings has an intentional warmth to it rather than a shallow feel.
Our handmade sunflower earrings collection →
Statement size or everyday style?
This is genuinely the only thing worth thinking about before you buy. Not metal, not findings, or even your outfit - the size!
Small sunflower studs are a completely different ball game to a pair of statement earrings. The studs - like our handpainted sunflower studs — are the ones you forget you're wearing until someone asks about them (which they will!). They sit right on the earlobe, they draw eyes in, they work with everything. They're the kind of earring you reach time and time again, without even thinking about it.
Sunflower Stud Earrings – Silver →
The statement pairs are a different energy. Bolder, more presence, the kind of jewellery that wants a bit of space around it so it can show off it's potential. Hair up, or pushed back away from the face to let those sunflowers shine. They're not harder to wear, just more intentional.
Sunflower Statement Earrings – Silver →
The overthinking trap
The trap with statement jewellery - or any jewellery, really - rears it's head when you start to see your earrings as a problem to be solved. What do they go with? Are they too much? Are they not enough?
Sunflower earrings are as forgiving as they are delightful. Because of the golden yellow and warm brown colours, they exude an almost-earthy air, and sit comfortably against most of the colours you actually wear: think cream, linen, denim, olive or rust tones, the classic plain white tee, navy knits... They're easygoing and ask only one thing of you - that the rest of your look doesn't shout quite as loud as they do.
If you're wearing the studs, honestly don't worry about it. I'm yet to find something they don't look good with.
If you're wearing the statement sunflowers, the best thing to do is just keep the rest simple. A simple neckline. Hair out of the way. Let the earrings do the work they were designed to do.
Let it all bloom
Yes, you can wear sunflower earrings with a floral print. There are absolutely no rules. The more flowers, the better. You are a beautiful blossoming garden and will not be hidden! Usually people focus too much on whether or not different flowers are 'allowed' to be worn together, and end up missing a much more important factor that creates a cohesive look: scale! A small stud with a big botanical printed dress? Absolutely flawless. A micro petal pattern and sunflower statement huggies? Perfect. Try to remember to keep one detail dominant and let the other play quietly in the background.
The sunflower effect
Jewellery is one of those small things that has a surprisingly large effect on how you feel moving through a day. Not in a earth-shattering, transformative way... more that putting on something you actually love gives you this underlying confidence and expression that makes the day feel smoother.
That's what I make sunflower earrings for, really. Not as a fashion statement, but as a little reminder of the beauty we find in the everyday - if we remember to wear it!
Browse all handmade sunflower earrings →
Want to read more about our sunflower jewellery?
How to actually wear sunflower earrings →
From clay to blossom: making sunflower jewellery →
