Jo Barrett is the founder of sea glass jewellery business, Sage & Seasalt, based in Suffolk. Here, she explains how the idea came to her while she was recovering from serious back injury early in 2020 – and how she now offers wedding flower preservation
I first had the idea for Sage & Seasalt at the start of lockdown in early 2020. I’d just had a serious back injury and unable to work. I’d always made sea glass jewellery over the years as a hobby, but I wanted to create something even more exciting and being at home while recovering gave me time to do that. I wanted an online shop filled with gorgeous handmade coastal jewellery and gifts as everyone loves the seaside which was my inspiration.
At the beginning of lockdown, I felt quite helpless. Having an injury was stopping me from doing things I loved such as travelling around the UK coast with my husband who’s a landscape photographer and it also meant I couldn’t beachcomb which is my favourite hobby! Shielding was also a worrying time as I’d lost a dear friend to Covid, and it was the unknown. However, this also meant I had plenty of time to work on new designs for my shop.
My Sage & Seasalt business has adapted in several ways. I’m now able to work from home daily, I and now have a website selling my sterling silver jewellery which a lovely friend in Bali silversmiths for me and is bezel set (something I still can’t do!). I also have an Etsy shop where I sell my jewellery worldwide which is so exciting.
It’s vitally important to me that all my products are ethically sourced, from the beachcombed shells and sea glass I find on local beaches to the vegan and cruelty free resin I use in my jewellery and gifts.
Last summer I got involved with the Innovate Local Scheme after a friend suggested it to me. As much as I love working from home. I wanted to get out and meet customers face to face and show my jewellery off to people in real life, not just on a screen. Having my market stall in Stowmarket has given me so much confidence and after all the lockdowns. It was lovely to get back outside meeting people again. I highly recommend the scheme to anyone who wants to take their small business further. Thanks to the scheme, I now attend the Colchester Farmer’s Market on the first Saturday of each month. I also have lots of Christmas fairs booked across the county.
One of my biggest passions in life is cold water swimming. I found it really helped my back and leg pain and to this day I still love it. Each sea swim is like a mini adventure for me. Luckily, I found a local group of swimmers called the Shingle Street Blue Tits who welcome everyone of all ages, abilities and it was life changing for me as it’s given me the confidence to now swim safely in the sea on my own. Who’d have thought I’d be swimming alone in Shingle Street lagoon in March when the water was just three degrees!
My business is evolving in the most fantastic ways. I’m now stocking my jewellery in some fabulous small businesses all over the British Isles, such as the Isle of Skye, The Outer Hebrides, Marazion and Porthleven in Cornwall and nearer to home, Chaffinch Woodbridge and Suffolk Sense in Wickham Market.
After having my own gardening business for 15 years, my love of flowers has never gone away. I’m delighted to now offer a wedding flower preservation service. This involves brides sending me their bouquets straight after their wedding day. I dry them out and then set them into wonderful gin clear resin. They make the most beautiful keepsakes. This works perfectly alongside my jewellery business, and I can even make wedding flower jewellery straight from a bouquet!
My plans for Sage & Seasalt involve expanding my new wedding flower preservation business. I’m so lucky to be able to work with such beautiful fresh flowers and make the prettiest keepsakes for brides with their bouquets preserved forever in resin. Working with flowers and sea glass are just the best combination I could dream of!
You can find Sage & Seasalt at Colchester Farmer’s Market on the first Saturday of each month and then Stowmarket market outside Boots Opticians every Saturday; plus, Wherstead Park Wedding Show on October 2 and at various Christmas Fairs. You can also find Sage & Seasalt on Instagram.
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