"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
