Before Clova Rae Smith started making jewelry from what she calls a "sculptural-angle," she originally had other plans. In her youth, the plan was to go into the dental industry––which is to say, she wanted to become a dentist. This had come from a fascination she had always had with teeth, finding them to be the first thing she noticed about someone, along with the various dental work that had happened when she was a child–-the two keeping the mouth always in her thoughts.

Now, several years later, and having recently graduated from Central Saint Martin’s, Smith’s come full circle: she’s still got teeth on her mind.

With a collection already full of rings, chains, and earrings, she’s also been adding Grillz to her work–––from ones with thorns, stones, and blood’––aiming to give its wearer a more-confident smile.

Coeval interviewed the 22-year-old about her grillz, tooth collections, and the hardest part about being a jeweller.

Tell me about the Grillz. How’d you start making them?

Basically, I did a foundation at Camberwell [Camberwell College of Arts] in London and I just did jewelry, but it always came from a sculptural-like angle. Like I always wanted to do fine-arts sculpture and then I just thought that I wasn’t gonna, you know, be able to survive if I did fine art [laughs]. So I was like, ‘Okay, let’s do design.’ Because it incorporates everything that I’m interested in. I just hadn’t thought about it before ‘cause I’m from kind of like, a fine art sort of background, I guess. But I just started making Grillz ‘cause I was intrigued by it. I didn’t know how they stayed there. And I just wanted to figure it out because it’s not something you learn at uni. It’s not something you’re taught and it’s not really a common thing in the jewelry industry. I just wanted to find out how it worked. And I’d always liked braces and stuff–––I wanted braces. So I just think adorning teeth was something that I’ve always been interested in, and to be able to find Grillz and teeth jewelry is just the perfect coming together of everything.

I did this giveaway in February and it went––not viral, viral, but I gained 2000 followers in one day. It really went around London and the U.K. And then people started asking me for my sculptural stuff, like the thorns that I do. And I didn’t want to not give people what they wanted.

What style are you going for with the Grillz?

I think my style is quite organic. I’m inspired by just like, the way that other materials work and also the placement of teeth. Like with my thorns, I just do what I think works well with the teeth and what looks good. I get some inspiration as well from my identity as a queer woman, so that comes into other aspects of my jewelry. Not only the Grillz, but everything I make is very personal and they’re like things that I would wear myself. I don’t put out something that I wouldn’t wear.

You spoke earlier about university...I read that you didn’t get along with your tutors at CMS because they told you to stop doing what you were doing. Why did they tell you to stop?

Yeah [laughs]. I just had a bit of a problem because they weren’t supportive. Some were [supportive], but one was vocally unsupportive and told me to stop doing what I was doing and focus on university. And I just thought like, what I’m doing now is what I want to be doing after university. Why would I stop? At the time, I’d also been in talks with a big stockist––like a retailer––so I was just like, ‘Why would I stop?’ Like, that’s ridiculous. So one person had a problem with that, and another had a problem with the use of blood in my work. (The blood is glass––like it’s fake.) I showed her my first prototype sample and they just went like, “Euh. Why would I want to see that? There’s so much hate and pain in the world.” And I was just thinking like, ‘This is my concept. You can’t really say that.’ I respect constructive criticism but I don’t respect criticism. At least be constructive or helpful, but don’t be like, “Don’t do that” or “Euh.”

Why do you think so many people have responded to your Grillz even though both last and this year have been a time where, for the most part, we don’t really see each other’s teeth?

Yeah, I think this definitely hit a trend, but I hadn’t noticed it before the giveaway. Like I was just doing my thing, and I knew other people making Grillz, but it hadn’t hit the mainstream yet. And then all of the sudden it was just like this massive thing. Kim Kardashian was getting Grillz; Dua Lipa was getting Grillz. I think it’s ‘cause during the lockdown people spent a lot of money on online shopping––or not even just online shopping, but like fashion or accessories and different, exciting things that they hadn’t really had time to consider before. But I think what attracted a lot of people to me specifically is I do send people home impressions, so it’s perfect during lockdown ‘cause they can just post it to me. And then I make it and post it back and then as soon as we can see each other’s teeth, then they’re ready to have this cool new thing that hadn’t, at the time, really hit the mainstream. I don’t think it has properly yet. I think there’s still a lot of like, conversations happening at the moment. But like teeth gems, all of that––I think people are getting into new types of jewelry that haven’t been explored yet.

What, in your opinion, is the hardest part about being a jeweler?

For me, it’s definitely customer service. Just because of the amount of messaging. I don’t sell them[the grilz] on my website. I sell them through [Instagram] DM, because I want to make exactly what the person wants correct. And then there’s the whole mold kit, and I have to tell them specific instructions on how the process works. I’m trying to figure out how to streamline it. But because a lot of people want customs, there’s different prices. And that’s just the hardest part because it’s a lot of communication. I have an intern now who’s just started, but I’ve mostly been doing everything myself. Like accounting, financial stuff, customer service, making, designing. I haven’t been able to design new stuff really just cause I haven’t had the time.

I read that you have a bunch of teeth lying around. Is that true?

Okay, so I keep everyone’s impressions––the ones who have made an order––so if they want another order they can just e-mail me the form, and then I can just work on it and they can get it quickly instead of like, buying another mold and repeating that process. So yeah, I have a box of teeth. But it’s not weird!

How many do you think you have?

Like, all of them? I think maybe I’ve made like….maybe like two to three hundred pieces since February. Maybe more––maybe 300.