Summers in the Hamptons are always on the move, but life at the beach never changes. With some of the best beaches in the world, vacationers, locals and the like can all relate to sticking their feet in the sand and enjoying long summer days at the beach with friends and family.
Some of the best memories of the summer are sure to be made at the beach. Dune Jewelry, the Original Beach Sand Jewelry Company, is committed to making those memories last a lifetime. Like many of us, Owner and Creator of Dune Jewelry, Holly Daniels Christensen, is in love with everything about the coast.
“As a young child I always loved the excitement I would see on people’s faces as they pulled up from a long road trip and checked in for their week at the beach,” Christensen said. “Later in life, I thought to myself, how cool would it be to capture those memories in something tangible that people can keep with them always? At that moment, Dune Jewelry was born.”
With her heart and soul at the beach, Christensen tells her clients to “live for the moment, then take it with you,” just as she did in launching Dune Jewelry. “People have such a strong emotional attachment to specific beaches, and jewelry is a great way to keep those memories alive and with you at all times,” Christensen said.
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Sandollar Necklace with sand from Cupsogue Beach in Westhampton. (Courtesy Photo) |
After growing up in Cape Cod and then working in Boston’s real estate market for 14 years, Christensen’s days of skipping work and escaping to the beach finally paid off. In 2007 Christensen began making beach sand jewelry for her close friends and family and in 2010 she took off with her dream and launched Dune Jewelry.
“To be able to combine my fond memories and love I have for the beach, and generate rare, beach inspired accessories with my dedicated and creative team is something I have always wanted to be able to do. We don’t just sell jewelry, we preserve cherished moments, we sell memories that people will keep with them for a lifetime,” Christensen said.
The Dune Jewelry line features entirely custom made, modern accessories made with sterling silver and beach sands from nearly anywhere in the world. “I like to keep our patented designs modern and clean so that the beauty of the sand and the memory it represents is the main focus, making our designs priceless in sentiment,” Christensen said. Among the most popular with Dune’s coast-loving clients are pieces from the Island and the Sandbead collections along with the Sandrop Earrings, stacker rings and new beach bangles.
With thousands of sands in their Sandbank from all 7 continents, Dune Jewelry is dedicated to bringing the beach to you in a Sandbead that holds hundreds of sand grains and thousands of priceless moments and memories. For one-of-a-kind pieces, customers can also send in a sand sample from their most cherished coast to be cleaned, layered, polished and sanded into a custom design. As for The Hamptons, Dune Jewelry has sand on hand from Southampton, Amagansett, Montauk, Wainscott, Westhampton, Water Mill, East Hampton, Sagaponack, Hampton Bays and everywhere in between.
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Earrings from the Island Collection with sand from Coopers Beach in Southampton. (Courtesy Photo) |
As a self-taught jeweler Christensen has been through a lot of trial and error and has since perfected her process. Now working out of an old mill building in Boston, she says her clients are her biggest influence in the studio. “The stories they volunteer to share about their favorite beaches are an incredible inspiration,” Christensen said. “It’s an unexplainable privilege for people to share those intimate times in their life with me personally. To be able to provide something to them in return is extremely rewarding.”
Christensen dished that her absolute favorite beach is Marconi Beach in Wellfleet on the Cape and the best sand is from Positano, Italy, where she and her husband enjoyed the gray, white and black textured sand on their honeymoon. She carries the memories of her honeymoon and sentiments of home with her nearly every day with her favorite designs from the Sandbar Collection.
Although Christensen has only been to the Hamptons once, she is excited to work with east end locals and vacationers to help them preserve their sandy summer memories. Dune Jewelry is currently featured at The Hampton Maid in Hampton Bays and at Homeport in Montauk. Christensen’s collection can also be seen at the Montauk Art Show from August 15-17.
All items have a lifetime warranty and range in price from $40-$380. For more information and to purchase jewelry, visit dunejewelrydesign.com.
