'Ōpala + Operculum Bracelets

This is NOT sea glass. This is recycled glass. Here is its story...

There is an area of coastline on Maui where, between 100 and 200 years ago, people went to "dispose of" their trash.  Some of these areas eroded in a way that the glass, tableware, etc. quickly made its way to the ocean and began its transformation into sea glass. In other areas, the rubbish sat. Storms rolled in, packing the rubbish in with sand, dirt, thick mud and other sediment.  Grass grew over it and it became its own hillside.

On a hike, one day, I very accidentally discovered an area such as this. While I generally search for only surf tumbled glass, I felt equally enamored by this "dump glass." Most of the glass I found this day was broken, but smoothed slightly and patinated by weather and time. There were intact bottles, hand painted china and glass in almost every color of the rainbow.  Maybe it was just me, but I found it all so beautiful and interesting.

This was the day that "'Ōpala" (the Hawaiian word for trash) was born. Trash was quite literally about to become treasure! What I collected, I took home to break up further and then left in the rock tumbler for about 4 weeks to get clean and smooth. After meany years of creating these 'ōpala pieces, my art has evolved to now incorporate glass from my own everyday life in the form of alcohol bottles, perfume bottles, as well as refuse pieces from stained glass artists.

These pieces of wearable art combine small bits of frosty and smooth recycled glass with surf polished operculum shells. (The operculum is the structure that closes over the aperture of a mollusk shell.) I find the shiny white operculum to be the perfect partner to the colorful matte glass. Each grouping of shell and glass is separated by a small knot. The rope cord is created by hand twisting 8 strands of waxed polyester.

The secure and easy to use closure is made with a single pearl and small loop. These bracelets ARE SIZED. Upon checkout, please choose from size 6, 6.5 or 7.

To find your bracelet size: start by measuring the smallest part of your wrist and adding 0.25 inches. This will give you a snug fit with not a lot of movement. If you prefer a looser fit, add more length. I think you will find that you can comfortably wear a range of sizes!

Please also note, the sizing of the 'Ōpala + Operculum bracelet is determined by the internal circumference of each piece when it is clasped.  It is NOT an end to end measurement.