GETTING TO KNOW

getting to know H D olly aniels-Christensen

DUNE JEWELRY

By Jennifer DeCillis

From the Kitchen Table to Worldwide Recognition, Dune Jewelry Celebrates its 10-Year Anniversary

In 2010, Holly Daniels-Christensen founded Dune Jewelry, The Original Beach Sand Jewelry Company®, capturing memories and moments in time and turning them into beautifully constructed pieces of jewelry. Since its conception, Dune’s patented designs have been handcrafted by talented artisans, integrating natural elements from precious places in your life into tangible and eternal remembrances.

Sand from the beach on your honeymoon or shells from the shore of your hometown are just a few examples of elements that can be transformed into these picturesque pieces. Having cultivated the world’s largest sandbank over the past decade, Dune offers over 4,000 samples of elements from beaches, sports venues, trails, mountaintops, historical locations, and iconic events around the globe.

Spending years crafting jewelry for friends and family, Holly quickly recognized the uniquely personal nature and popularity of her work. Through good old-fashioned bootstrapping and self-starting, Holly soon turned her dream into a thriving business, which began at her very own kitchen table.

Over the past 10 years, Dune has partnered with some of the biggest names in the modeling and entertainment world, hosted star-studded events, and joined forces with various philanthropic organizations to give back in important ways. Celebrating a 10- year anniversary of success and hope for the future of her business, there is no one more deserving than this genuinely sensational entrepreneur.

Holly, first off, congratulations on 10 successful years! It feels like you are family now at BELLA, and we have loved watching your journey. How does it feel to be celebrating such a huge milestone? Thank you so much. It’s true, we are family now! I truly cannot believe it’s been 10 years since I started Dune from my kitchen table. I have to say, it feels really good to be celebrating this milestone. I’m so lucky to have partners like BELLA, plus a team of amazing professionals that have been by my side since day one. The past 10 years have been the greatest adventure of my life with so many ups and downs and challenges, but I can tell you with confidence that I’m ready to take on the next 10 with just as much drive and passion.

Take us back to the beginning. When you set out with Dune Jewelry, is this where you envisioned yourself and the brand in 10 years? This is an interesting question. I’m such an entrepreneurial spirit, so while I’m very good at planning for success in the short-term, I actively change my long-term dreams and goals as new ideas come to me. When I first started Dune Jewelry, we were The Original Beach Sand Jewelry Company ® , and over the years we’ve evolved into the one and only experiential jewelry brand in the world. What that means is that we create jewelry and accessories filled with sand and natural elements from thousands of memorable and iconic locations around the world.

We live in such a digital world, and our mission is to create and provide our customers with a truly tangible reminder of their favorite moments in life. We capture experiences in every single design that leaves our studio. So to answer your question, I don’t know if I saw this exact evolution, but I did see myself leading a successful, innovative lifestyle brand with bootstrap financing and an organic growth model.

As of late, there have obviously been hurdles that many small businesses have had to face and overcome. What is some advice you would give to other small business owners? As a business owner, remember this: If you can keep your business afloat through an unprecedented global pandemic and make changes that ensure your business’ survival, you can make it through anything! Think about it—this is the hardest it’s ever going to be, so stay positive, make difficult decisions that will benefit your business in the long run, and keep going!

I truly believe that we’ll be stronger leaders having gone through this situation. Personally, it’s given me clarity about who I want on my team for the long haul, and even more importantly, who I don’t need on my team to make things work. There are silver linings everywhere if you look hard enough.

The meaning and sentiments behind Dune Jewelry are truly touching. (I, myself, have pieces that mean so much to me on such a personal level.) Could you share one of the favorite stories you’ve encountered or pieces you’ve created? There are so many extraordinary stories that have been shared with me over the years, it’s hard to just choose one. We’ve used sand from wedding ceremonies, flowers from funerals, crushed granite from the Rocky Mountains where a customer was proposed to, grass from golf courses where a customer scored his first hole-in-one, soil from the Appalachian Trail, infield sand from Fenway Park (and don’t worry—we also have bricks from the old Yankee Stadium for you Yankee fans!). It’s really hard to narrow it down to just one story because our Sandbank now holds thousands of memories from around the globe.

Photography by Rachael, CEO of PARLR Brand Studio

You have worked with supermodels, celebrities, and charitable organizations alike on beautiful collaborations. Are there any special projects or new collaborations in the works that you can share? I love this question because we always have something new and exciting on the horizon. First and foremost, we’re coming out with an experiential candle collection that’s launching in late September. I’m so excited about the fragrances we came up, with including Cape Cod, Hawaii, the Amalfi Coast, the Outer Banks, Bermuda, and more. These candles are going to transport you to your favorite place without even leaving your living room.

We also have a stunning new moonstone collection being designed by Camille Kostek and Laura Conte for Dune Jewelry that is going to be pivotal in our growth as a brand. The BELLA community is going to love these designs, and I can’t wait to share them with you all.

Finally, where do you hope to see yourself and Dune in another 10 years? If the next 10 years can be as fulfilling as the last 10 years, I’ll consider myself lucky. For me, it’s about that journey, not the destination...oh, and of course we’ll be a household name by then! :)

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