By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University
Let’s go to the Virgin Islands. A young woman is demonstrating her artistry in creating permanent jewelry for her customers.
Becky Nester, portraitUnlikely as it sounds, she comes from 2,000 miles away in Kansas.
Becky Nester is founder and owner of Salty Sunflower Designs, the business exhibited in the Virgin Islands and elsewhere. She grew up in Omaha, Nebraska and earned a life sciences degree at Kansas State University. She played piccolo in the marching band, where she met her future husband (who played in the drumline).
Their lives and careers took them to several states. They even took one year to travel cross-country in an RV.
“We asked ourselves, ‘Of all the places we’ve visited, where would we like to settle down?’ Our choice was Manhattan,” Nester said.
They made that decision during the COVID pandemic, so the housing market was challenging. They ultimately found a home in Riley. Nester’s husband is an audio-visual technician in Manhattan.
Becky Nester is involved with multiple enterprises. She is an independent consultant for Norwex, a global cleaning and body care company. “Our products make cleaning and body care safer and easier,” she said. The company’s emphasis is on providing healthy products and reducing harmful chemicals in the environment.
Nester also worked as a veterinary technician. With certifications in equine and canine massage, she works with such animal alternative therapies as pulsed electromagnetic field treatments.
Nester also founded what is now called Salty Sunflower Designs. When she was a child, she and her family frequently visited her grandparents who lived in the Virgin Islands, a U.S. territory in the Caribbean Sea. Her family still has a home there.
As a girl, she enjoyed walking on the beach and looking for treasures, such as sea glass. Sea glass is pieces of manmade glass that have been weathered in the saltwater and waves of the ocean. Nester found that she could create and market jewelry made from sea glass.
Nester wanted to expand her jewelry business. By the time she was back in Kansas, she wanted a business name that reflected both her saltwater beach experience and her Kansas roots. The name that stuck was Salty Sunflower Designs.
“It’s Caribbean girl meets Kansas girl,” Nester said. She designed a logo showing a sunflower rising out of the ocean.
Nester learned about the growing interest in permanent jewelry and chose to make that a major focus of her business. Permanent jewelry is clasp-free jewelry that is permanently welded in place on the wearer’s body.
In other words, these are bracelets, anklets, or necklaces that the wearer never has to worry about taking off or leaving behind. “I can swim or shower with it on,” she said. “We can sparkle all the time now.”
Nester has various types and designs of gold-filled and sterling silver chains and optional components to which gems can be added. A customer selects the desired chain and then it is instantly welded into place around the wearer’s body. “This trend is starting to explode,” Nester said.
“This is not soldering or a big torchy welder,” Nester said. It is a micro-tig welder with a tiny electrode that emits a spark that instantly joins the metal pieces.
As a precaution, Nester uses a leather patch to protect the wearer’s skin while welding, even though such protection is not considered necessary. Items can be custom-made. “I focus on quality and safety,” she said.
“I love seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they admire their sparkly creations,” Nester said. She demonstrates her wares at private events or pop-up appearances, such as one near her family home in the Virgin Islands. She’s provided permanent jewelry at such places as bridal showers and private parties.
Her products are always available at 120B Marketplace, a multiple vendor location that is open most weekends in Riley.
It is great to find this artisan in a rural community such as Riley, population 938 people. Now, that’s rural.
It’s time to leave the Virgin Islands where this Kansas woman is displaying her permanent jewelry. We commend Becky Nester for making a difference with creative craftsmanship, be it salty or sunny.
You must be logged in to post a comment.