Kirsty of OMG SeaGlass Designs collaborates with the sea to create one-of-a-kind Jewellery and art pieces repurposed from some of history’s long lost remains

03 December 2020

Designer Spotlight: OMG SeaGlass Designs

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Mother, jeweller, artist, and business partner to the The Ocean, Kirsty: ‘Sea Glass and Sea Pottery are objects thrown into the sea and beautified by the ocean’s movements to be given a new life and a new purpose’

I’m Kirsty Van Deur, the sole operator behind OMG SeaGlass Designs. OMG stands for Ocean Made Glass and I love creating unique pieces of art and jewellery from Australian sea glass and sea pottery. I create every piece with my own hands, including bespoke pieces made from my clients’ own beach finds.

A silver bangle with an organic shaped centre setting of jade green sea glass, leaning on the well-worn remains of an old bottle

All of my sea glass is hand collected by me (friends and family sometimes help now) and I only use my sea glass as it was found on the beach, I don’t alter any piece. Yes, that includes the earrings - I just spend hours matching them up!

Kirsty of OMG SeaGlass Designs collaborates with the sea to create one-of-a-kind Jewellery and art pieces repurposed from some of history’s long lost remains

I love to reuse what is already created, and my sea glass - and all the silver and gold I use - is recycled. No mass production here; just unique one-off handmade pieces.

A collage art piece by OMG SeaGlass Designs depicting a coastal scene using drift wood, shells, and sea glass in a gradient of greens, blues, and whites: ‘No mass production here; just unique one-off handmade pieces.’

I have been a beach lover from a very young age, and my family went on holidays to the beach every year – I remember the “best shell” competitions! It didn’t take my family long to move to the beach from our dairy farm as we literally lived across the road from the beach.

A Silver bracelet set with sea glass and sea pottery sitting on a rock in front of the ocean

My collection of sea glass started when I moved to Melbourne in 2012; I found it at the local dog beach and instantly fell in love. Sea glass and sea pottery are objects thrown into the sea and beautified by the ocean’s movements to be given a new life, and a new purpose.

A collection of coloured smooth sea glass in pinks, purples and greens: ‘The glass has been shattered by the rocks and smoothed by the sand as the motion of the waves carries it to shore.’

The glass or pottery can be from mason jars, perfume bottles, medicine bottles, alcohol bottles, décor, crockery, vases, car lights, etc. that has found its way into the ocean. A piece of sea glass can be anywhere from 10—200 years old. Depending where it is found, Tasmanian sea glass is over 100 years old. The glass has been shattered by the rocks and smoothed by the sand as the motion of the waves carries it to shore.

A thin hammered silver ring with aquamarine coloured sea glass by OMG SeaGlass Designs: ‘A piece of sea glass can be anywhere from 10-200 years old’

All of my sea glass is genuine Australian sea glass found by me on beaches and is used in the exact shape I’ve found it. The majority of my sea glass is from the Mornington Peninsula, but my rarer finds including blues, reds and sea pottery are from my homeland, Tasmania.

A collection of silver jewellery pieces by OMG SeaGlass Designs

My background is in Interior Design, but I have always had a hands-on creative side. From the age of just 7 I would sit down with my grandmother to do watercolour art - my grandmother was a spectacular water colour artist and I know this is where my creative side has come from.

A sea glass collage of a wave coming together on recycled timber – each piece of sea glass is sorted by colour and shape, and hand selected to create gradients of colour

After having my first son, Jack, in 2016, the fast pace and full-on-ness of being an interior designer took a back step and naturally my son became number one. As I can’t sit still and my collection of sea glass started to grow, I started creating pieces of jewellery and art with them. First I started making pieces just for family and friends back in 2014. My mum still shows off my very first piece of art hanging on her wall.

The woman behind OMG SeaGlass Designs; Kirsty beachcombing for sea glass with baby on board!

Come 2017 one year after Jack was born, I did my first market in Carrum. I thought no one would know what sea glass was! I loved talking to other people who collected sea glass and had a genuine interest in how it is created, and what it could have been in its original form.

The home studio of Interior designer-turned jeweller and artist Kirsty: ‘I work from my home studio in Frankston, Bayside Melbourne… I also consider the beach my workplace’

Three years later I’m still establishing myself online and at many more markets. I’ve been selling on Madeit for just over a year now and it has been the best platform, and so easy to use. I’m not the best when it comes to technology, but the support from Madeit has been so helpful and very quick. I also love that Madeit is Australian owned and run and that all the artists are from Australia and right now we need to support Australian creators and sellers.

A trio of images of Kirsty hammering, soldering and filing jewellery pieces in her Melbourne home studio

I work from my home studio in Frankston, Bayside Melbourne. I started creating my very first pieces in our spare room when my son was asleep, moving to take over the dining table and kitchen bench in busy periods.

A piece of aqua seaglass uncovered in the sand amidst the rocks and shells; ‘My inspiration – visually – comes from the pieces of sea glass I collect; They tell me what to create’

I also consider the beach my workplace, but love that I can have fun with my kids there whilst calling it “work”. Having been at the beach from a very young age, I love that my children will share that memory as well. They are my inspiration - I love being a mum and I love that I can run my business whilst looking after my kids.

A delicate silver scalloped ring set with a large aqua green piece of sea glass worn on a hand in front of the ocean

My inspiration - visually - comes from the pieces of sea glass I collect; they tell me what to create with them. And, of course, the beach is my inspiration too. Hand-collecting my main medium from such a beautiful location, rather than buying it from the internet or in shops, is great for the soul and for the responsibility we have for this planet. There is no planet B!

An organic shaped silver pendant set with a crackled piece of blue and white sea pottery: ‘Handmade is such a unique process… no one else in the world has the piece you do.’

Handmade is such a unique process; each artist will do something different to the next artist, thus each piece is so individual. With the added beauty that each piece of sea glass is unique you know that when you buy a piece from Ocean Made Glass SeaGlass Designs, no one else in the world has the piece you do.