Since the day I walked into Claire’s, aged fourteen, and nearly picked up an ear infection, I have rarely left the house without wearing earrings. Although my style has fluctuated over the year – for better and for worse – one thing has always stayed the same: my love of statement earrings. So I hope that, as someone who, no matter how late I am, spends far too much time picking out my earrings every morning, I can convince you to give the statement earring some love.

“My favourite way to wear colourful earrings is to coordinate them with another element of my outfit”

Statement earrings can be earrings that are particularly large or distinctively shaped. To me, the best kind of statement earring is the colourful one. When it comes to jewellery we often focus on the gold-silver dichotomy, but earrings that display a colour besides silver or gold, or even a funky pattern, are typically the most overlooked.

As with all other accessories, earring trends have come and gone. Although we have seen the pendulum swing between more maximalist and minimalist jewellery aesthetics, I don’t think colourful earrings have yet had their moment. We have seen all sorts of incarnations of the statement necklace in mainstream fashion, from the red heart pendant to the charm necklace. But at the same time, earrings seem to have been relegated to a small, simple, background piece to an outfit (or at most a slightly "chunky” gold hoop).

For me, a statement earring does not have to function as a 'pop' of colour on an otherwise subdued outfit, nor do they need to juxtapose the rest of the look. My favourite way to wear colourful earrings is to coordinate them with another element of my outfit, like my shoes or jacket. Given that I do not have an endless closet with matching shoes in different colours, I also enjoy tying bold earrings into a wider theme of an outfit.

In a time where microtrends can make online fashion seem very literal or prescribed, floral earrings can be a subtle nod to cottage-core inspiration without fully committing to an ‘aesthetic’. Equally, playing around with themed jewellery looks can allow you to try out, or be inspired by a style while still integrating it into your existing wardrobe.

For instance, the darker tones of a lot of ‘whimsygothic’ fashion do not fit with many of the brightly coloured clothes that already make up my personal style. That said, it is a fashion subgenre that I enjoy taking inspiration from, especially through incorporating celestial iconography into my jewellery.

“Learning to make my own earrings from polymer clay has been one of the most surprisingly easy hobbies I have ever picked up”

But giving the fun earrings of this world a try does not mean you need to buy a whole new jewellery collection. Learning to make my own earrings from polymer clay has been one of the most surprisingly easy hobbies I have ever picked up. I am by no means a jewellery-making expert, but the small imperfections of the earrings I have (attempted) to make myself make them all the more special to me.

Sustainably made jewellery can be incredibly expensive, and given the saturation of sites like Etsy, with drop shippers using the term ‘handmade’ just as loosely as they use the term ‘vintage’, statement earrings can be hard to come by ethically. I am under no illusions that my Hobbycraft own-brand polymer clay is the world’s most sustainable material, but in a system where perfect sustainability is essentially unattainable, attempting to make your own earrings is a fun way to play around with an accessory that is often overlooked.

Ultimately, accessories can be one of the easiest ways to give even the most simple outfits a bit of personal flair. So, I encourage you to give the statement earring a go, whatever ‘statement’ means for you.