Boston, MA... When Valerie Gates' aunt passed away five years ago, she left a 40–year collection of beach glass. Though intrigued by the worn beauty of the pieces, Gates, an Emmy award-winning art director, at first was not sure what to do with the buckets of the discarded pieces of beer bottles. But five years later, the simple gift has turned into two collections of sophisticated jewelry that have gained critical aclaim and are featured in museums and fine galleries across the country.
"I like the statement it makes on many levels about recycling and the simple beauty in nature, mixed with sterling silver to create an elegant piece of jewelry. I love helping nature recycle these ocean gems... what once was rejected is now revered and we get a second chance to see its beauty," said Gates.
The necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings and cuff links are all one-of-a-kind and hand-crafted, creatively mounting pieces of genuine seaglass in sterling silver settings for a distinctly sophisticated, urban look. "My work is purposefully simple. I create my jewelry lines with only naturally-found or recycled materials such as smooth beach stones and sea glass."
Since launching five years ago, SEAGLASSWEAR has been receiving rave reviews, and has been featured by an array of national museums and fine galleries including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, The Phoenix Art Museum, The Wadsworth Atheneum, The Smith College Museum of Art, The Morse Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Orlando Museum of Art, The Ringling Museum of Art, and The Philadelphia Museum of Art and most recently the Smithsonian. The line has been featured in The Boston Globe, South Shore Living, and Cape Cod Life as well as recently as New England’s Finest in Yankee Magazine.
Our Pictures:
