Lia Smith recalls walking into a craft store in 2017 during a special holiday sale. “There were so many beads,” she shared, “I thought, what if I make something with these?” That moment inspired Lia’s jewelry making journey. With the encouragement of her best friend, Alyssa, she got more serious about making jewelry and launched her business - Wandering Ram Jewelry - in 2019. Rather than continuing to focus on beadwork, Lia found that she enjoyed working with polymer clay. She now works primarily with clay for a variety of creations including: earrings, bracelets, flower frogs, worry stones, and plant pot charms. She also paints original art onto clipboards.
Her business name - Wandering Ram - was inspired by the travel themes she highlighted in her original jewelry. Lia shared, “In the beginning I was trying to make earrings based on different places. What would it feel like to travel to Utah? What would those earrings look like?” In that particular example, Lia featured arches in her jewelry to highlight the landscape at Arches National Park in Utah. Her business name also honors her time as a student at both Township Three Elementary and UNC Chapel Hill - both of which have rams as mascots.
Lia has turned her attention to embracing seasonal themes in her current work. She explained, “What is summer? Fruit and fun things! So I use fun colors and shapes. I’m thinking dangly earrings that people might want to take on vacation or that remind them of the farmers’ market or the ocean.” Lia has plans to begin creating full collections on particular themes in the future.
Her process for making clay jewelry has several steps. She uses polymer clay in a variety of colors. First, she rolls out the clay. Then, she chooses from her collection of cutters to cut the clay into a particular shape. She bakes the clay shapes at 250 - 275 degrees in a large, stove top toaster oven. Sometimes she adds hand painted details to the baked shapes before adding jewelry components.
Lia shared a bit about her crafting process with a recent FIFA World Cup design that was inspired by her husband, an avid soccer fan. Lia explained, “I realized I had a cutter in the shape of a soccer ball. So I said, let me just see. I also had a square cutter to create a flag to add to the soccer ball. I hand painted small versions of different flags to represent various countries at the World Cup.”
Lia’s favorite products to create are her earrings, particularly studs. “I like when kids and grownups come up and are so excited to see something unique like a seahorse or axolotl,” she shared. Lia loves to experiment, so the possibilities are endless. Sometimes friends or family will ask, “Have you ever made a palm tree?” Her response is most often, “I’ll try it!” Lia shared that she is currently exploring the use of translucent clay and alcohol to make a pair of jelly fish earrings.
Market shoppers will likely recognize another important part of Wandering Ram Jewelry - Lia’s daughter, Marley. She loves to help her mom at the farmers’ market! At just 22 months old, Marley already enjoys trying to make earrings of her own. Lia shared, “When I’m working, I usually give Marley her own clay to work with. She likes to help roll clay out for me and she particularly loves the cutters. Sometimes she may misplace my cutters, but I always find them!”
Lia was a founding vendor at our farmers’ market when we opened in 2022. We are delighted by her continued presence. She shared, “I love being a part of the Kings Mountain Farmers’ Market. I look forward to it every summer. It is like this little family and community that we make together.”
Find Wandering Ram Jewelry at the Kings Mountain Farmers’ Market on Saturdays from 8am - 12pm through September. You can also find Lia’s beautiful products on her Etsy page. Be sure to follow Wandering Ram Jewelry on Facebook and Instagram!