The Story of Sailor & Ruby
When I was in primary school, one of my little friends asked me, "Becky? Why do you always…make things?" (Insert eye-roll emoji here, from somewhat annoyed, tiny pal who would rather have been playing with toys, rather than making them.) Her observation has remained with me all my life. I always have made things. Not all of them wonderful...whatever. But, it's who I am, and being a maker brings an energy to my life, with or without the eye-rolls. (Insert winking emoji here.)
In 2018, Sailor & Ruby started as a small business/creative outlet while working on Sanibel Island, Florida. Every day, before and after work on this gloriously shell-packed sub-tropical island, I stopped at the beach to go shelling, and discovered that the often walked over, walked on and subsequently smashed, yet personality-packed eastern oyster shell made an adorable bracelet. So I made some bracelets and headed to the farmer’s market. Alas, to date I've comically sold 5. I still wear a little oyster wrapped on my wrist but I've since learned that oyster bracelets are not for everyone. Also, having moved back home to Indiana, my seemingly endless supply of oysters quickly...well…ended, and I have since moved on to other jewels. Wink, wink.
Sailor & Ruby is inspired by the gift of creativity, a love for history and travel (which can be observed in my choice of names for my creations) and an even deeper love for the ocean. Put history, travel and ocean together and I'm over the moon. I adore (ballet) pink and pearls. Again, pair them up and I'm enchanted. Sailor & Ruby's pearls (and any other gems used) are all purchased from other small businesses. And I will begrudgingly use colors other than pink. I do what I must.
Sailor & Ruby is a hand-crafted and handmade small business and is once again seaside. Sailor & Ruby is now based in Southwest Florida (having moved to the Gulf Coast 2 days before Hurricane Ian…what incredible timing I have). Using polymer clay, 14k gold-filled components (no fading or green skin here!) semi-precious gemstones and a lot of pearls (you see, there's still an oyster theme here) Sailor & Ruby's stock (and creative mind) changes often, which means many pieces are very much one-of-a-kind. Every piece is handmade, and all polymer clay beads are hand-rolled, baked, sanded (a lot) and assembled in this one-woman shop.
Sailor & Ruby contributes 5% of all sales to 2 favorite NPO ocean causes, taking turns between the two. #savethewaves
Meet Rebecca
Rebecca Dodds is an automotive service writer (by force...and need) and a maker/small business owner every second of the day. Sailor & Ruby has become one of the great loves of her life, incorporating it into almost every aspect of her day, including hand-sanding polymer clay beads while on the phone in the service drive, selling a transmission or a brake job (or better yet, both). Sailor & Ruby is named after Rebecca's 2 adorable, fat-faced Black Labradors who are only too happy to cuddle up together under the work bench, keeping Rebecca's feet (and soul) warm.