About Santa McCurley and Vidros Del Mar

Santa was born and grew up in a fishing village in coastal Ecuador. Her father was a fisherman, so the ocean and beach life is in her blood. In 2009, Santa moved with her husband to California. She currently lives in Solana Beach, California, with her husband and two children. They spend lots of time at the beach surfing, fishing, and combing the shores for sea glass and other treasures. Occasionally, they also go to work and school. 

Santa has always been a crafty person and has been hoarding sea glass for quite some time. One day she thought, “Why not do something will all this beautiful sea glass?” And so Vidros Del Mar (translation: “glass of the sea”) was born—simple handmade jewelry Santa makes from the sea glass she finds with her family on California beaches.

What Makes Vidros Del Mar Jewelry Special

Ever since I was a little girl in coastal Ecuador, I’ve loved sea glass. Close to where I lived, there is a small hidden beach that, for some mysterious reason, is replenished with sea glass every day with the switching of the tides. Back then, I just loved sea glass because of its soft, glowing beauty. Over time, I’ve come to appreciate sea glass as an example of how nature, and the ocean in particular, rounds out rough edges and creates beauty.

I make all my jewelry by hand with the sea glass that I find with my family on California beaches. For me, it’s a tribute to the ocean, which has given so much to us. And when I wear sea glass jewelry, I feel closer to the ocean, family, and the things that matter most in life. My hope is that my jewelry will do the same for you or be special to you in some other way.

Why Sea Glass is So Cool

To me, sea glass is just as beautiful as gemstones. But what’s really cool about sea glass is that it starts out as trash and the ocean turns it into something beautiful.

Also, each piece of sea glass has its own story. The characteristics of a piece of sea glass often tell at least part of that story. Sea glass is product of the beaches that make it. So, beaches with soft sand produce sea glass with a softer and smoother look, whereas coarse sand beaches leave more conspicuous markings on the glass that ends up there. Color and thickness can also reveal something about a glass’s history. For example, the thick aqua colored sea glass we find are pieces of telephone insulators and can be date back to the 1800s. And lots of pieces we find show signs (like strange shapes and embedded sand) of being in someone’s campfire at some point.

So, long story short, sea glass has character.