Today we’d like to introduce you to Valerie Gates.
When Gates’ aunt passed away, she left a 40–year collection of Cape Cod 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 bottles. But a couple of years later, the simple gift has turned into two collections of sophisticated jewelry that have gained critical acclaim (New England’s Finest in Yankee Magazine) and has been featured in over 20 museums and fine galleries across the country, including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Smithsonian, and The American Museum of Natural History.
“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.
Seaglass is formed when discarded glass bottles are thrown into the ocean. Over time, sand, saltwater and rocks smooth away the rough edges and create these jewels of the sea. Today seaglass is more difficult to find because plastic bottles have replaced glass.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I was a designer but not a jewelry designer when I started this line of jewelry so I had to learn how to become a jewelry designer.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Seaglasswear story. Tell us more about the business.
The Nauset Collection and The Nobska Collection of SeaGlassWear, are handcrafted from genuine sea glass, hand-selected and ocean-made from discarded bottles, therefore variations will occur and are part of the natural beauty and originality of each item.
Blue-Green – most likely from old Coca Cola bottles – fairly rare.
Brown – usually from beer bottles.
White – from a variety of bottles.
Olive Green – usually from wine bottles.
Kelly Green – usually from beer bottles.
Cobalt Blue – most likely from old medicine bottles – very rare.
Lavender – most likely from WWII glass with a chemical compound that turned in the sun – very rare.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
It was incredible luck that I was given the large collection of seaglass that had been collected over many decades from my aunt. I have walked many Cape Cod beaches since then to find seaglass and have never found pieces of seaglass in the colors and sizes that I received from her.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.seaglasswear.com
- Phone: 781-235-3480
- Email: valerie@seaglasswear.com
Image Credit:
Valerie Gates
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