Welcome to Sea Glass Essentials my name is Peter Catalano. I have forever been an entrepreneur, inventor and had a love of working with my hands. The ability to work with my hands has come naturally and has spread out into so many different areas of my life. So, finding another outlet that afforded me the ability to work with my hands and make something beautiful out of nature was all the more appealing. I have always enjoyed the outdoors and especially the sand and the sea. As I live approximately 15 minutes from Santa Cruz, California going to the beach to Swim, Boogie Board and Hunt for Sea Glass are weekly occurrences. I am but one of many, that has a strange fascination with beach glass or as some refer to as sea glass. To me there is something mysterious about the brightly colored glass, shimmering on the beach. In retrospect, I suppose that I view my natural sea glass finds as my own special treasures and often wonder where and how the pieces came to be. I enjoy picking up the sea glass and noting its size, shape and color. Could the beautiful frosty sea glass have come from a ship wreck? Could the beautifully smoothed red sea glass have come from the turn century era? Might the pink sea glass have come from an antique perfume bottle? I also wonder more so how and why the ocean offers it back and with it seashells of all shapes, sizes and colors?
For me it all started several years ago when I discovered "Glass Beach" located in Fort Bragg, California. I then with my hands and my imagination began attempting to create something from the eclectic organic sea glass jewels. I began by crudely drilling pieces and stringing them together. The end result was my eco-friendly version of sea glass bracelets, necklaces, key chains and then earrings. I had no previous jewelry making experience other that what I created using the raw material I found at "Glass Beach" initially. The pieces continued to evolve through a variety of sea glass drilling techniques and input from others. I found that my crude beginnings found my jewelry being a beautiful accessory for the beach and also, wearable to special occasions. I grew into more intricate pieces some are light weight and others weightier such as double stranded sea glass bracelets and necklaces from my "Romance Collection". My designs have continued to grow and progress into the designs you see featured on my website today.
As of this time I have recently traveled to the British Virgin Islands to the island of Virgin Gorda. I have a wonderful friend there that is cultivating along with his wife their own Jewelry featured throughout the Bahamas including Neckar Island. I brought over several pieces to share with them and had several designs (white 2 strand wedding necklace, bracelet and earrings, White sea glass with Coin Pearl drop pendant and several bracelets with matching earrings) featured at one of their upscale resort showings. I am now working with them to distribute my jewelry via their contacts in the U.S Virgin Islands and the Caribbean. My works have been displayed (under my previous name Sea Glass Santa Cruz ) and sold at the 2006 and 2007 North American Sea Glass Association Festival and also, featured and sold in such fine local establishments such as "Many Hands Gallery" located in both Capitola and Santa Cruz California locations.
Sincerely,
Peter Catalano
Owner-Sea Glass Essentials
www.seaglassessentials.com
