Sand Dollar Cocktail Earrings

The Story of Sand Dollar I have been blessed to live in front of the ocean, and one of my greatest joys has been to explore the undersea world with my daughter Anaïs. We snorkel after school, on the ocean-side of Key Biscayne, and I never imagined she would love spending time with her head under water as much as me. On any given day we can catch lobster, fish for our fish tank, or find one of the ocean's many gems. I still can't believe she loves gliding across the sea grass as much as I do. As we swim above the sea grass, I have taught her to look out for gems, abandoned conch shells, colorful sea urchins, and sea biscuits, the slightly plumper cousin of the sand dollar. As we share time snorkeling together, I can only smile when I think about how much jewelry and undersea life she has seen at such a young age. My Favorite Parts of this Design I don't usually design anything flat, as I think volume is so important, but the silhouette of the arrowhead sand dollar (my favorite sand dollar species) was too enchanting for me to let it go. When you combine the five inlets and the peeking keyhole with the glorious flower found on all sand dollars and their close cousins the sea biscuits, I had all the inspiration I needed. I covered the face of my sand dollars with granulation, and you can almost feel the tiny spines that cover this animal when it is alive. In gold and silver, these granulations dance in the light as your sand dollar dangles from your ear or hangs from your neck. I was pleasantly surprised with the natural pairing of the sand dollar with my starfish for the earrings. The hidden flower on the sand dollar seems to be mirrored within the five arms of the starfish as if the two were meant to dance together. I hope you find gems and see the hidden flower as you glide through life with your loved ones.