How We Give Back

All ocean treasures have either been hand collected by myself or purchased through supporting small business with the same ethics and standards I hold myself to. 

My endless love of wildlife and desire to help includes, but is in no way limited to, sharks, big cats, and polar bears, all started when I was young. Back in 2019 I jumped on my first real opportunity to volunteer and get my hands dirty. I spent a week learning to do what shark scientists do. Roughing it for 7 days on the largest island in the Bahamas, Andros, spending long hours on a boat from sun up to sun down, cold mornings, sporadic torrential rains, learning to safely catch sharks and work on them to collect invaluable data to help keep them protected and learn as much as we can about them. Getting in the open ocean and learning to freedive with the same sharks, feeling sea sick for the first time in my life on small boat with about 9 other people, learning about conservation and participating in beach clean ups and visiting local schools to spread awareness and give back to local communities along the way. To say it was one of the most influential weeks of my life is an understatement.

Since that first trip, I have been searching for a way I can give back that is unique to me. I donate annually to organizations that have deep meanings to me. I have continued going on these research trips and donating a week of my life at a time to being as hands on as I can to help give back. I share my trips for all to see and I have adopted sharks. I continue to freedive and have become Scuba certified. I have taken to underwater and on land photography and videography. All of this is beautiful, and I will never stop but I was looking for something I could make with my hands. Something I can create to spark the same feelings of awe, wonder and magic and to help inspire others to find their own unique ways to give back to the things they love and care about. Silversmithing is that outlet for me. 

These trips are lead by Saving the Blue. This organization that has provided me my first glimpse into a mission that was bigger than I could've imagined, and also helped me over the years find myself and my place in this world of shark conservation. A down to earth group of people who come from different backgrounds, all with the same goal, protecting sharks, the ocean, the planet and all the animals that reside on it.

So it's important to me that I joined 1% for the Planet. What this means is I dedicate at least 1% of my annual sales to organizations such as Saving the Blue, that give back to the environment and the animals that have had such a profound impact on me and my jewelry. 

P.S. If you are looking for your own way to get involved, I highly suggest a life changing week in Andros, Bahamas with Saving the Blue. They run no experience needed trips a few times a year and the experience will change your life.