Santa Cruz Sea Glass

For the second year in a row, the first weekend in November was marked “Santa Cruz sea glass festival!” If you’ve been following my blog, then you know I’m pretty addicted to the beach and collecting sea glass. The show did not disappoint, and I was quite excited to meet Krista Hammond, the owner of Santa Cruz Sea Glass and the producer of the festival.

krista hammond and amy roseveare
At the Santa Cruz sea glass festival

Krista and her husband, Tony Berkowitz, have combined two of my passions, sea glass and jewelry. They founded their company in 2006. Living in Santa Cruz, and both being surfers, they spend lots of time on the beach, so I imagine it was just a matter of time before they created this wonderful business. They find each and every piece of sea glass themselves, and then hand make each item in their home studio.

santa cruz sea glass
A shot of the production area

Krista and her husband work as a team with each piece. Krista works more on the design end, and Tony is the silversmith. They were fortunate to be mentored by Robert Wunce, a very talented jeweler. It seems like they have a perfect harmony going — Tony always says, “I’m the dirt and you’re the flowers.” Symbiosis, right?

Here’s a photo that shows some of their glass collection. I tried not to drool on the glass case…

santa cruz sea glass
I would faint if I even found ONE piece like this!

Here are some of their finds made into stunning rings.

santa cruz sea glass rings
Hmm…which is my favorite?

I guess this one is. 😉

sea glass ring
Wowza!

And finally, here’s a lovely photo of some of their bracelet designs.

santa cruz sea glass bracelets
Talk about arm candy!

Not only do they create beautiful jewelry, but they also give part of their profits back to the sea by way of their partnership with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. In addition, they are a green company and use recycled US silver in their designs. What’s not to love?

With holiday shopping season now upon us, you just might want to check out their jewelry — either for a gift for a loved one or for some self-gifting! 😉