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...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. Through trial
and error and genuine fascination, Austin Design was born. 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.....
Sand . Sea . Sun
™ & Austin Design
™
are
two distinctive American handcrafted jewelry lines. Sand . Sea .
Sun is created from natural sea glass, sterling silver, sand etched glass
beads, recycled glass, charms with nautical and sea life motifs, and bright
crystals. Austin Design is a contemporary line, incorporating current
fashion trends, semi-precious stones, natural pearls, bohemian glass, and
sterling silver.
Austin
Design originated in 1987 on the Island of Cape Hatteras, a small fishing
village on the Outer
Banks of North Carolina. Today, we also have a studio in the
foothills of the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains. Our company is a
group of artisans which create each and every piece by hand. We pride
ourselves not only in our original designs but also in the quality and
workmanship which goes into every piece. Our inspiration, of course,
is our home island ~ into all the jewelry we blend the colors, elements
and feel of the ocean.
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