TURNING THE new symbol of thanks into a runway-ready accessory, a local lady is raising money for the NHS with her rainbow earrings.
Jessica Moore, has been making earrings since December for her online shop, The Clay Drop.
Now, she’s turned her hand to making rainbow designs and donating the profits to NHS Charities Together — who give £1million a day to the NHS.
“To begin with, I made them for myself to share my acknowledgment for the NHS,” said Jessica. “But since making more, people have been wearing them with such pride. It’s nice to spread a bit of happiness.
“Over the past weeks, I’ve been spread out across the entire dining room table making earrings.
“And so far, we managed to raise £500 through earring sales.”
Jessica — who lives just outside of Shinfield — explained that she has always been interested in the colourful world of making, crafting and sewing.
“I guess I’ve always had a love of creative stuff,” she said. “I always make my own clothes too.”
And when she’s not busy stitching and moulding, she also runs an online fashion store, Orange Tree Vintage, which promotes sustainable clothing consumption.
Talking about the art of making jewellery, she said: “I only recently opened my Etsy shop because I wanted to make sure I am selling a durable product that people will treasure and keep.
“I’m happy that I started when I did as it’s given me the freedom to perfect and work on the process and designs. I’m really happy with the standard.”
All of the earrings Jessica makes at The Clay Drop are made from colorful polymer clay.
“I knew I wanted to find a niche,” she explained. “When I started playing around with polymer clay I knew I liked it. It’s quite a long process to make the earrings but it’s fun.
“I make a slab first, and create the designs with patterns, textures or a sort of marbling effect.
“After baking in the oven, I then sand, drill and assemble them. And I’m super proud of my packaging too, I’ve taken a lot of care to make something special, from the moment it arrives on a customer’s doorstep.”
Jessica is now making rainbow pin badges after a request came in from a customer who didn’t have their ears pierced.
This — she hopes — will become a popular product and boost donations to the NHS.
And not one to be caught twiddling her thumbs, last week after one of her essential tools snapped, Jessica turned her hand to making scrubs for healthcare workers in need of additional uniform.
The Clay Drop’s NHS rainbow earrings range from £18 to £12 depending on size and design. Pin badges cost £6 each. Orders can be made by contacting Jessica directly at: www.instagram.com/theclaydrop/
