Designer View – Lara of Belfast Beach Jewelry

The Indie Wedding Guide would like to welcome Lara of Belfast Beach Jewelry for today's Designer View. Lara creates a beautiful line of sea glass tiaras and more.

Indie Wedding Guide – How did you get started creating with sea glass?

As a young girl spending summers on an island off the coast of
Maine, I used to delight in exploring the shore at low tide in search
of washed up treasure: small pieces of frosted, sea-smoothed glass and
pottery shards with enticing bits of antique print rather than shells
or stones.  I was fascinated by the romance of the story each piece
held within, from its origin through the wave-washed journey to arrive
years–even centuries–later at my feet.   

Today
I am lucky enough to live where I can see the ocean out my windows, and
frequent walks along the rocky beach allow me a chance for meditation
and exercise out in the fresh sea air, as well as the opportunity to
collect sea glass once again.  Realizing how precious these glass
gems–once someone's trash!–have become due to more ecologically
responsible methods of recycling and the popularity of plastic, I loved
the idea of incorporating them into my jewelry creations, thereby
carrying out a small form of recycling myself.  To me, these worn,
faded bits of glass are diamonds, emeralds, amber and aquamarine–and
red, the rarest color of all, rubies of course : ) and over the last
few years I have shared my peaceful beach hunt with my faithful bichon
frise dog Sammy, and then my son James as well, first in a frontpack,
then a backpack, now finally running and playing around me.

I
create bridal tiaras and headbands from carefully chosen sea glass,
wrapped with gold or silver wire and embellished with seed pearls and
crystals, which I sell both in local boutiques and in my online shop.  These unique, handcrafted headpieces would be equally
appropriate at both a barefoot beach wedding and a fancy, formal church
event.

Indie Wedding Guide – What does your company offer that the "big box" stores don't?

Unlike the more limited service a bride receives from a big-box
wedding retail shop, I am happy to work together with her to create the
perfect custom-designed tiara to crown her special day, and provide any
color variations to complement her bridesmaids and wedding color
scheme.  Every bride and every wedding is beautiful and unique, so why
should you settle for a one-size-fits-all, mass-produced headpiece?  I
derive much satisfaction from handcrafting one-of-a-kind,
gallery-quality but affordable works of art which are both comfortable
and elegant, and will be cherished both in the wedding photos and in
the years to come.