Tag Archives: blue streak gallery

She Sells Seashells by the Seashore: Sasha Lickle Designs

Combining her perpetual love for the ocean together with a collection of shells from around the world, Palm Beach native Sasha Lickle creates beautiful beach-themed jewelry for her line, Sasha Lickle Designs. I am proud to feature my cousin, Sasha’s business, as she has developed quite a name for herself out of a pastime of exploring the beach as a young child. Below, Sasha answers some questions about how she ended up in the jewelry business and what inspires her latest designs.

Her jewelry line, featuring semi-precious stones, coral, natural seashells and 18-karat gold is currently available at Blue Streak Gallery in Wilmington, DE now through February 29th. You may also find her jewelry at numerous stores along the East Coast (listed below) as well as online. Stop in to Blue Streak Gallery before the end of February to see Sasha’s gorgeous jewelry!

Questions for Sasha Lickle of Sasha Lickle Designs:

What inspired you to start designing shell and semiprecious stone jewelry?
From the time I could walk, I used to spend hours collecting shells on the beach with my mom and there was always something so rewarding about finding an almost perfect shell. I spent my summers diving, diving, snorkeling and wandering the beaches of the Bahamas and have always been captivated by the beauty of the ocean and everything that it inhabits. I just think nature can be so breathtaking at times and in a world where most of what we have been exposed to is manufactured, I wanted to remind people just how incredible nature can be all on it’s own. All of the stones and shells that I use are completely natural; none of them are synthetic or dyed.

Your collection has expanded greatly since you started. How long have you been making jewelry now?
I started making jewelry about 5 years ago when I was bed bound for 11 months due to a back injury, just to keep me occupied. I truly did not know I had a creative bone in my body. As I recovered, I started to wear all of the pieces I had made and began to get several requests from others to make them something. I started making pieces for others just for fun in spare time and out of that grew this business. I did not really start focusing on it full-time until about 2 1/2 years ago. Most of what I have learned has been self-taught through trial and error, so as I have progressed and figured out how to use different methods and techniques I have been able to expand my line.

Your jewelry line is currently being featured nearby at Blue Streak Gallery in Wilmington, Delaware. What other stores currently carry Sasha Lickle Designs jewelry?

Wilmington Country Store    Greenville, DE
Jupiter Island Club    Jupiter, FL
Island Boutique    Jupiter, FL
Initial Styles    Jupiter, FL
The Back Porch    North Palm Beach, FL
Leta Austin Foster    Worth Avenue, Palm Beach, FL
Fiandaca    Worth Avenue, Palm Beach, FL
Aristokids    Palm Beach, FL
The Bath & Tennis Club    Palm Beach, FL
Rapunzel’s Closet    Palm Beach, FL
The Historical Society    West Palm Beach, FL
Gracie Street Interiors    West Palm Beach, FL
Gotta Be Chic    Boca Raton, FL
Seagate Hotel & Spa    Delray Beach, FL
Periwinkle    Delray Beach, FL
Cheeca Lodge    Islamorada, FL
Outer Banks Trading Company    Islamorada, FL
Key Bana    Islamorada, FL
Tarpon Creek Marina    Marathon Key, FL
Drew Patrick Spa    New York, NY
Skirtin Around    Nantucket, MA
La Playa    Naples, FL
Joseph Jewelers    St. Simmons Island, GA
Pink Magnolia    St. Louis, MO
Deep Water Cay    Bahamas
Caron’s Beach House    Available Online Only

What inspirations do you draw from to come up with new jewelry design concepts?
I do a lot of diving and fishing and frequently travel to the Bahamas and I am inspired by the different elements of nature that I come across while exploring those hobbies.

All of your designs are handmade, by you. How long does it typically take to complete a piece for you?
It depends on the complexity of the piece, but it can range anywhere from about 20 minutes to 3 or 4 hours to assemble. Some of the pieces, like the gold-dipped ones have processes that take about a week to complete.

Your images that are used to showcase your line are beautiful. Do you photograph them yourself?
I do, with the help of my mom. Most of them are taken in her backyard with various pieces of corals, shells, barnacles etc. that we have found together on various beaches around the world. I have also taken some of the photos down in the Bahamas.

We love that your line is reasonably priced. The majority of designer jewelry out there similar to yours is quite costly. How do you stay within these price points?
It is not easy!! When I originally started the line, I knew there was a hole in the market for lower price point, good quality jewelry because personally I had always had a difficult time finding accessories that I could afford that didn’t fall apart or turn funny colors after the first time you wore them. So my goal was to create a high quality product that was good looking and fun that any shopper could afford and purchase just because they liked it and it didn’t have to be a serious investment. It was a lot harder than I thought to find reliable good quality suppliers. I quickly discovered that unless you personally go hand pick each shell, stone, etc. you end being sent horrible quality/broken pieces. So, I spend hours digging through bins of shells and stones trying to find the most perfect pieces. I have also made great relationships with a few people that know what I am looking for that hold pieces for me when they come across them.

Having grown up in Palm Beach, how have you seen it grow and change?
Interestingly, Palm Beach Hasn’t changed that much since I was a kid. It has always been this sort of perfect tropical island that people escape to. It has a reputation for being this snooty stuck up place, which can appear to be at times to outsiders, but only because it is a small, tight-knit community whose residents are very protective of. It is not out of malice or looking down upon people, but rather out of love for this place they have worked so hard to build. The island is very old school and traditional in its ways and as the rest of the world grows more casual and lax on manners, traditions and respect for others, the residents of the island fight to hang on to those things. The biggest change I have seen is the increase of younger families here. Traditionally, the majority of the population here has been the 65 and above age group, but in the last 10 or 15 years there have been a lot more 20 and 30-something’s moving here, or staying here if they have grown up here.

What are some of your favorite spots – design stores, restaurants, hotels, clothing boutiques?
I think my favorite restaurants are Bice and Buccan. My favorite design stores are Gracie Street Interiors and Island Home; Clothing boutiques are C. Orrico and Aristokids.

Knowing that you’ve teamed up with several clothing/accessory lines for trunk shows in the past, do you have plans to work with any specific lines in the future?
Not really, as I have found my business mentality seems to be different from most in that my goal is ensure that the customer gets exactly what they want and absolutely loves each piece of jewelry that they purchase. This often means allocating a lot of my resources and time to the product and customer instead of on marketing or displays and/or spreading myself too thin in multiple markets, which is often how other companies seem to want to use their resources. It is also tough because I am a small company and have a much smaller budget than most, so it can be hard to keep up with what other lines want to do. I also love having the freedom to tailor my approach as I see fit. I am relatively new at this and learn so much everyday. In that process, I often discover that there are new ways to do things, ideas to explore or approaches that just don’t quite meet the customers needs. So, I enjoy having the ability to shift gears and improve the company, which can be hard to do when you are partnered up with other lines.

Being as creative as you are, do you carry your love for design into your home?  Can you tell us a little about your interior design style?
Ironically thus far, the interior of my home is much more based on functionality than design. I work out of my home, so most of my furniture was purchased for its ability to provide function and storage and the design was secondary. Naturally, most of my interior design is fairly, tropical or beachy with lots of bright colors and bamboo. My favorite pieces in my apartment are a framed Marlin release flag that is signed by everyone that was on the boat when I caught my first Marlin and these gorgeous prints of fish and the Bahamian islands that my mother purchased from a local artist in the Bahamas the year I was born.

To view the entire jewelry collection & purchase items, please visit Sasha Lickle Designs