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BUSINESS // ENTREPRENEURS
She Sells Seashells By The Sea
Monica Parker with her MonicaByTheShore Sunrise Shell Designs. Photo from monica Parker
Monica Parker, owner and designer of MonicaByTheShore Sunrise Shell Jewelry Designs, is using her business to showcase the beauty of the Islands on a global scale.
Parker founded her business in 2009, and says it all started with a “if you build it they will come” approach.
“The concept of my business is to be absolutely unique in my designs; to use only the most beautiful, perfect, pristine Sunshine Shells; and to create jewelry of a ‘designer’quality rather than of a mass-produced or ordinary retail store,” she says. “I also love to work with customers on a one-on-one basis to design custom pieces, no matter where in the world they live.”
Each shell in Parker’s collection is hand-selected from her diving, snorkeling and beachcombing adventures. Parker, a Florida native, is in her home studio – located on the North Shore close to Waimea Bay – daily, working on pendants, rings, bracelets and more, and the public is more than welcome to be a part of the experience.
“I invite people who live on or are visiting the island into my studio to select their own shells from my collection for a creation personalized just for them – this does not cost any extra. They also may see any of my pieces that are on my website in person, in my studio, try the jewelry on, and I am happy to make any alterations if needed in sizing,” Parker says, noting that her hours are generally 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., except Sundays, when she’s available in the afternoons for showings.
According to Parker, her designs don’t discriminate against age or gender. In fact, she says the ratio of men to women consumers is almost equal.
“I have customers who are among the very elite in the art, music and show business industries, to stay-at-home moms, military and retirees,” Parker explains. “It’s amazed me to see the variety of people my jewelry touches the hearts of!”
Parker has designed jewelry for movies such as Journey 2: The Mysterious Island and television shows including Hawaii Five-0. In fact, actress Grace Park’s character Kono has sported several of Parker’s creations. Sunrise Shell Jewelry Designs are priced at $100 and up, and may be purchased online, at her home studio by appointment only or at the annual Haleiwa Art Festival.
“Each piece I create is original and cannot be reproduced. It is wearable aloha,” she says. “Photography also has been a passion of mine since I was a teenager, and I have used my photography in my business to expand into a line of MonicaByTheShore Sunrise Shell-themed home décor items, which include glass cutting boards, placemats, coaster sets, mouse pads and more.”
Looking to the future, Parker will continue to create top-of-the-line works of art. She gets a thrill out of designing jewelry for movies and television shows, and says she would love to design for a Pirates of the Caribbean movie and provide exquisite pieces for Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show models.
“There are always opportunities to think outside the box, to color outside the lines, and I welcome each and every one,” Parker says.
For more information on MonicaByTheShore Sunrise Shell Jewelry Designs, visit MonicaByTheShore.com or check out her Facebook page.
Read the MidWeek Online Article here: www.midweek.com/she-sells-seashells-by-the-sea/
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