There’s something humbling, relaxing and almost zen-like about being at the beach and watching the waves crash against the shore. The repetition of tiny waves pushing down upon the sand is something I could sit and watch for hours. Feeling the cool water on my hands and the sand beneath my feet, being by the sea is one of the most amazing feelings. It’s this feeling that inspired me to create a wave jewelry collection. I wanted to take that sense of humility and relaxation home with me. I wanted to wear it and watch it sparkle in the sun, just like the waves gliding across the ocean do.
The funny thing about waves is that they’re present and palpable yet at the same time they’re not. You can see a wave, you can feel it touching your toes, and you can even hear it crashing against the shoreline but you can never capture a wave. Waves travel miles to reach us and once they do that’s when they disappear. Their beauty is fleeting yet enduring almost like a mandala. A beautiful creation that’s meant to be wiped away, a reminder that we should focus on the present instead of our past or future. For this and so much more, I love watching the waves and still wish I could put one in a jar to take home with me.
It’s nothing new for us to take what’s beautiful in nature and adorn ourselves with it. The Greeks wore olive wreaths, Native Americans used roots and berries to paint their faces, and the Egyptians wore gemstones sewn to their clothes. For me, creating a collection of wave jewelry felt natural and is a way to obtain a vanishing treasure. Many of my wave jewelry pieces have a hammered finish that reflects sunlight like glistening ocean waves. I’ve always loved the sparkle of the sea that waves create.
Growing up by the sea was even inspirational for me as a child. I loved scavenging the beach for seaside treasures that the waves had washed ashore. I was always intrigued by these treasures and how the ocean seemed to be an endless supplier of beautiful things. I often collected rocks that had been tumbled smooth by the rolling waves and would place them in bowls of water so that their stunning colors could always be seen. When people say the ocean is a mystery, that couldn’t be closer to the truth. The beach rocks that I collected as a child, if left to dry out in the sun would just look like normal rocks, their vivid colors and distinctiveness would only return once placed back in the water. This as a metaphor holds true for waves as well. Once you take the wave out of the ocean, it just looks like water. It’s not until you return it to the sea that it becomes what it once was.
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