SEAGLASS STUDIO
Beachcomber Kelly Diel has a treasure trove of unique hand-crafted gifts in the heart of St. George’s. Seaglass Studio is where Kelly creates one-of-a-kind jewellery and ornaments from sea glass found on the local beaches. You can see the rarest colours of sea glass in orange, red and yellow. She also uses driftwood, sea pottery and other sea debris to create decorative signs, mirrors and ornamental sculptures. Visit Kelly at her studio, where you can find that special unique gift to take home.
Address: 16 Water Street, St. George’s Phone: (441) 297-4819
History
Ms Diel said: “I use bits of broken bottles and shipwrecks that have been tumbled by the sand and sea, and smoothed into beautiful pieces.
“It’s all handmade and every piece is unique — no two pieces are the same.”
Ms Diel opened Seaglass thirteen years ago and says she is simply recycling the natural flotsam and jetsam of the ocean.
On Sundays she will either head to the beach at Alexander Battery, St George’s, or the Glass Beach in Dockyard to comb the shore for interesting pieces. She also has a private beach she goes to.
“On my secret beach I can find orange glass, which is the rarest colour of seaglass. Only one in every 10,000 pieces of seaglass collected in Bermuda is orange,” she said.
The next most rare find is ruby red and cherry red — one in every 5,000 seaglass pieces collected.
Chris Cabral, a diver from St George’s, also brings intact glass bottles from the depths to the shop.
“He brings all these bottles up for me and we date them. It’s very interesting for the tourists,” said Ms Diel.
The bottles are fascinating relics of history and they are dated using Steven R McPhee’s A Guide to Collecting Old Bermuda Bottles, which is kept in the store for tourists to reference.
Using broken pieces of seaglass, she makes intricate pieces of jewellery — earrings, pendants, necklaces, rings, and charms.
Ms Diel uses sterling silver wire and 14 karat gold-filled wire. She also adds Swarovski and Austrian crystals plus cultured lotus pearls from Japan.
At the shop, gift-hunters can also find decorative candle votifs and fan pulls.
She also makes scallop shell candles and painted rooster and seahorse wallhangers.
You can also find Christmas tree ornaments made of seaglass, entwined in brass wire with ribbons and beads.
Ms Diel’s mother Barbara Hooper also sells homemade jewellery from the shop. She makes charm bracelets, earrings and anklets from beaded crystals.
Brother Michael Hooper also sells miniature grandfather clocks made from Bermuda Cedar.
