We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chelsea Dunham a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Chelsea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I am a self-proclaimed beach-glasser; one of those people that you may see walking slowly down the beach, head down, looking like they lost their keys in the sand. I am always looking for tiny shards of glass that have tumbled and smoothed by the waves. Creating Lost at Sea Jewelry came to me on a boring Saturday afternoon when, on a whim, I wrapped a piece of wire around a piece of beach glass from my collection. I wore it on a chain and got so many compliments and requests I thought, “I can sell these!”
I have always been very creative and like many artistic people I have a scatter-brain approach to life however, when I am in the zone creatively, everything comes alive. Actually finding the motivation to make a website and attempt this venture took a lot of self discipline.
This is a very DIY business. It is not my full-time job but it requires the same level of attention and passion. I run my own online shops and social media, buy my own supplies and everything myself. All the beach glass is sourced by me from local beaches and that takes work. Fun work, but work. Making my first sale was the best 40 bucks I ever made and I don’t know if I’m making the world a better place, but it certainly is a lot prettier.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I make custom, one of a kind jewelry out of precious metals and natural beach glass. I am a lifeguard and surfer so the state of our beaches is very important to me. Here on Long Island, NY, there are plenty of beaches to find glass and keep the beaches clean while searching for these little treasures. I always have a few garbage bags on hand with me wherever I go. Turning what many might (and have) called trash into tiny works of wearable art is the ultimate upcycling project for me. It is so fulfilling to see the joy wearing a piece of the beach brings. I treat every piece of glass like a rare gem: cut/formation, clarity and color all matter. Beach Glass (or Sea Glass, depending on who you ask) should be smooth with a frosted appearance. Every color is different- blues, reds and yellows being extremely rare, whereas browns and greens are more common, but just as beautiful. Each piece has a bit of history that comes along with it so every completed jewelry piece is packaged with a map of the beach where it came from and an explanation about the possible origin and significance of its color. The market is flooded with mass-produced, tumbled glass jewelry, but every piece I make is guaranteed to be made with one of a kind, genuine beach glass. I know because I find them all myself!

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month so I began a line of designs one year dedicated to showing off the pink ribbon. A portion of each sale goes to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. I’m just one person but saw the opportunity to bring awareness to the cause and my brand at the same time. One year, I made a piece for a customer who was a 2 time survivor and was so happy to run into her at the annual breast cancer walk at Jones Beach. She was wearing my piece.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

Initially I utilized Facebook and Instagram for self-advertise and Etsy to sell online. I also use word of mouth and go to a lot of local craft fairs when I can. I live in a very artistic little town so there is a lot of opportunity to sell one-on-one to people. These days I stick to custom pieces on an ad hoc order basis so I don’t end up with overstock. When I was making a mass amount of designs, there would be several pieces that sold really well, leaving me with left over pieces that effectively were a waste of silver or gold. Once a piece is created it can’t be dismantled to reuse materials. There are supply companies that will buy back bits and pieces of precious metal but it is just easier to make exactly what a customer wants, so everyone walks away happy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DownBuyTheBeach?ref=profile_header
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lostatseachel/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LostAtSeaJewelry/