Our Story

Seafoam Jewellery was born from the waves of adversity, much like the beautiful pieces of glass I work with.

After being made redundant in March 2020 from my career in events, a moment of inspiration struck mid-lockdown and I wondered if I could turn my collection of beautiful Cornish sea glass into unique & elegant jewellery using 24ct gold leaf to accentuate the beauty of this waste material. I spent four months developing a completely unique process involving experimentation, inventing new techniques and testing the durability at every stage to ensure the high quality and finish I wanted. Cue lots of disappointment and failed attempts until I had a eureka moment and I was finally satisfied with the quality, look and finish of my necklaces. I am my own harshest critic and will never sell anything I wouldn’t be happy to receive myself or that doesn’t live up to my exacting standards.

I was incredibly fortunate as a child to go to Cyprus for holidays every summer, this sparked a life long passion for Greek mythology - I even went on to study Ancient History & Archaeology at Uni and wrote my final dissertation on the cult of Aphrodite. This has led me full circle to the business name which was inspired by the goddess herself; she was born from seafoam that was tossed onto a a rock in Cyprus, now known as Aphrodites Rock. I love the coincidence that sea glass is also thrown about by the waves and washed up on to our shores, bringing us unexpected beauty and wonder from the turmoil.

Provenance & Materials

Unless otherwise stated, all of my glass has been hand-found on Cornish beaches by myself and my family. I hand make all the chains using high quality 14 carat gold filled fine chain, clasps and rings. The fixings are also 14ct gold filled to ensure the highest level of quality. To create a beautiful gorgeous lustre, I build up the layers of 24 carat gold leaf before sealing with a special eco friendly BPA free sealant to give them a truly unique, exquisite and durable finish.

Sustainability

Protection and preservation of our planet is incredibly important to me and was a driving factor behind turning sea glass (a waste material) into something useful and beautiful with zero impact on the planet.

I am committed to being an eco-friendly business, making sustainable, ethical and environmentally friendly choices at every step:

  • My gorgeous boxes are from a UK based company and are made from 86% recycled material, use water based inks, and are 100% recyclable (including the insert).

  • I use 100% biodegradable bubble wrap (it can be recycled too).

  • My postage bags are compostable and made from plants not plastic. They come with an extra sticky strip so that you can reuse the bag and prolong its use as well.

  • The gold ribbon is made from 100% recycled water bottles!

Meet the Maker

Hello, I thought you might like to know a little bit about the person behind the gold leaf and sea glass!

I’m Rachel, I live in East London with my husband Liam, 6 year son old Felix and Becky (with the good hair) the rescue cat. I’ve lived here for 15 years (eek!) but grew up in a small village just outside of Bath. Luckily my parents still live there so its lovely to have some countryside respite when London life gets too much and I’m yearning for some country walks.

I am a completely self taught jeweller; I spent hours watching tutorials online during lockdown as well as hundred of hours of trial and error perfect my own individual style - there was a lot of error! Up until that point, my career had been in event management and I’ve been lucky enough to work at some of London’s most amazing museums and galleries which has definitely influenced my style, specifically the awe-inspiring Bollinger Jewellery Gallery at the V&A (if like me you’re a magpie for all things shiny this gallery is a must!).

With hospitality and events back open again, I am very lucky to have found an amazing role as the Head of events for a beautiful historic venue, Two Temple Place, right on the banks of the River Thames four days a week, leaving me one day to tinker with my sea glass. It can be tricky juggling a full time job and a family with a side business but luckily Seafoam doesn’t feel like “work” so I will always find time to fit it in.

The sea makes my heart soar and for as long as I can remember I have always wanted to live by the coast. I’m hoping that Seafoam Jewellery can help me get a little closer to that dream. For the meantime we have wonderful family down in Cornwall so try and visit them for our seaside fix when we can.

Thank you so much for your interest in my business and for your support. It really means the world that people love sea glass as much as I do and that my little experiment has turned into a business that I adore.

I hope you love wearing my jewellery as much as I love creating it.

Rachel x

Founder of Seafoam Jewellery