"My fascination with sea glass began as a result of a lifelong love affair with the beach. I was fortunate to grow up on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, in the village of Cape Hatteras. My summers were spent pretending to be a dolphin or a mermaid, and hunting the shoreline for treasures. As a little girl, I spent hours collecting driftwood, shells, sand, and suntans ~ but the best discovery of all was always a genuine piece of seaglass. I still have a few of the pictures and mirrors I would decorate on rainy days, carefully placing each shell, each pebble....
The years passed as they always do, and while living on the island of St. Thomas I focused my creative side, and began making jewelry. I sold to my first galleries there, and then began attending retail and wholesale art shows along the East Coast. In 1995 I returned to Hatteras Island, and concentrated on the development of both my jewelry lines, and the business as a whole.
Much has changed since this picture was taken in 1973, but sometimes ~ if the sun is just right, and I raise my hands over my head, close my eyes, and listen to the waves .....sometimes I can still believe that I am a mermaid.....
All my jewelry is created from natural sea glass, sterling silver, sand etched glass beads, Recycled Glass, charms with nautical and sea life motifs, and bright crystals. It is a contemporary line, incorporating current fashion trends, semi-precious stones, natural pearls, bohemian glass, and sterling silver."
Austin Allen
