When you step into Gemma Black’s workspace, you’ll notice earrings of varying eccentricity, ranging from tiny bongs and bags of weed to working, miniature vibrators.
“Because I make weird and often risqué jewellery, people love to share my posts both privately in DMs and in their story,” said Black, who is better known as @hungrylaalaa to her 19.3k Instagram followers.
Based in Australia, Black owns an online Etsy store for homemade jewellery with her specialty consisting of only the most out-there of designs. Her main hustle is working in digital media, adding that “having that background has been helpful” in running her business both for social media and design.
She started with the knowledge to run a digital business, and once Black had become a practiced clay sculptor from her after-work crafting evenings, her artistic pastime turned into an online brand.
“I’m energetic and easily get bored. I need to be doing something with my hands at all times, so making jewellery was something fun to do after work and on weekends while I caught up on my favourite podcasts,” Black said.
She soon discovered how to make her own silicone moulds, granting the ability to produce her pieces in “bigger batches of styles” than if she was working only with clay. With this newly acquired knowledge, her business was established almost as an accident.
“Last May, my store really blew up and I couldn’t help but take it seriously because I was getting so many orders, but I absolutely love it!” she said. However, her process of creation — from the idea to the finished product — does take up much of her time.
“Sometimes I will get an idea and sit on it for weeks … other times it will come to me straight away. I also get ideas from craft items randomly and will just buy stuff from craft or discount stores until an idea comes to me.”
Because she works full time, Black often finds herself squeezing in periods of the day for jewellery-making, leaving her with what she calls “a very scattered start-to-finish process.”
After creating handmade earrings for the first time (a pair of sushi-shaped erasers), Black said, “It got so many compliments and requests for pairs from both friends and strangers that I decided to start an Etsy store.”
Following her earliest design, Black’s creativity expanded into producing unique pieces, such as her favourite resin and polymer clay ashtray earrings. She occasionally worries about running out of ideas, but has seen no signs of slowing down yet.
With social media allowing creators to have more exposure than ever before and helping people discover what they typically won’t find elsewhere, Black feels it’s important she invest the most in her online presence for her particular niche.
“I work mostly on growing my Instagram following because I feel like it is the natural social media home for creatives,” she said. “I have such an amazing customer base and I regularly get tagged in their photos on Instagram which helps a lot with developing a following.”
With a large following and store fanbase, her pieces have garnered the attention of social media influencers. Her account’s 24-hour story consistently showcases reposts of the faces of known Instagrammers adorned in one of Black’s designs. Among the influencers and known content creators who’ve been featured wearing her earrings are Rowi Singh and Bella Fiori.
Black said the connection she has to her followers empowers her. “My customers are really hot and cool, and they often inspire me with their bold style and confidence,” she said, adding, “Their social media posts inspire me to take more risks.”
With her account continuously gaining traction and selfies of its customers wearing her quirky, detailed designs, Black has been thinking of the next business steps to take. She has already created an online store but has yet to launch it because of a lack of time and the added administrative responsibilities. As a small designer, she enjoys her niche way of work but described having “some really great ideas” which could be best executed through a factory.
Outside of her identity as a jeweller, Black fights against human rights issues in her country, particularly through taking a stance for women’s reproductive rights.
“I have been campaigning for the last four years to get safe access zone legislation introduced and passed in the Western Australian Parliament,” she said. “This would mean that anti-choice groups would no longer be able to legally harass people accessing abortions and reproductive services at clinics in my state.”
Through her efforts, she hopes to see the legislation passed next year — but for now, she will proudly continue to provide locals with the wildest and weirdest jewellery in Perth.