Via Rutkowski 
New Jerseyans have a way of spinning things into gold; in this case, we mean it literally. Hoboken local Mara Alessi collects stand-out pieces of sea glass from the Jersey Shore and her travels, and she designs one-of-a-kind sustainable jewelry creations. Read on to learn more about Mara and her jewelry business: Alessea by Mara.
How it Started
Marietta Alessi (Mara) is a born and raised New Jerseyan. Growing up in North Caldwell, Mara had friends all throughout Northern New Jersey, and after attending a party in Hoboken, she fell in love with the Mile Square. She has called this little corner of the Garden State home for the last eight years, noting how much she loves the community, small businesses, and, of course, the joy of being a dog mom to her pup Shaggy.
As a creative who is passionate about fitness and wellness, it’s no surprise to hear that Mara’s business was sparked from long runs on the beach. Whenever she would go for runs, she would get distracted by the shiny, colorful bits of sea glass that popped up along the way. Mara shared that the sea glass was just “too pretty and needed to be honored,” so she started collecting it and wondered what she could turn it into.
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What began as literally YouTubing “How to make jewelry” turned into a full-on jewelry business called Alessea By Mara (a play on her last name). This endeavor even allowed her to pay her rent throughout the pandemic. Ever since Mara was a child, she could remember designing and making things (like flip-flops out of paper), and now things were being taken to a whole new level, reaching the people of Hoboken and beyond. Now, Mara’s repeat customers proudly collect numerous pieces of her sea glass creations.
Currently, Mara continues to make jewelry while simultaneously writing in the fitness and wellness space as a freelance writer and brand consultant. Previously, she spent several years working as the Social Media Director of SHAPE until 2023, pairing all of her passions together. At SHAPE, Mara spent time alongside wonderful marketers, creatives, and coworkers who became lifelong friends and supporters of her future business, whom she is forever grateful to.
The Jewelry
All of Alessea By Mara’s sustainable designs are handmade with natural sea glass and turned into necklaces, bracelets, anklets, rings, earrings, cufflinks, and even pendants for dogs. While most of her sea glass pieces come from the beaches of the Jersey Shore, some also come from Mara’s travels throughout Italy, Hawaii, and beyond. When team HG asked Mara about her sourcing process, she shared, “The pieces really find me”, adding, “I believe these pieces are simply on loan to me from the universe” before they find their forever home. While Mara combs through the shorelines, the ideal pieces of sea glass reveal themselves in shades of blue, green, sea foam, brown, white, and sometimes even yellows/pinks/purples (though it’s rare).
Mara has jars of sea glass from her adventures that are then carefully hand-wrapped in tarnish-resistant wire (either gold-filled, brass, or sterling silver) and placed on a chain or setting of the customer’s choice. Even the braided necklace chains at Alessea By Mara have a personal touch and are designed by Mara’s former mentor at SHAPE, Lara Eurdolian, a NYC-based influencer and entrepreneur behind the accessory line at Pretty Connected. Together, the chains and sea glass charm pendants come together as one female-founded fashion statement. Collaborating with other women business owners is something dear to Mara’s heart, and even her logo was created by Megan Cowley of Studio 12, a fellow female founder, whom she connected with on LinkedIn.
Each design is built around the individual piece of sea glass, and the price range is between $25-$145. Customers can choose the piece of sea glass that speaks to them, and then Mara works her magic. Aside from personal orders and gifts, Mara has also created custom designs for bridal parties, weddings, and events. As an extra touch of love, all of Alessea By Mara’s orders come with a special copy of the poem I Want to Age Like Sea Glass by Bernadette Noll. Mara shared with HG that this poem holds extra sentimental value for her. While she was going through a hard time post-job-layoff, a fellow runner she met during a 54-mile race in Africa had originally introduced her to the poem, and it deeply resonated, prompting Mara to send along a digital copy with every Alessea By Mara order.
Editor’s Note: Mara took the time to generously create a custom sea glass necklace on the spot for one of our HG writers. We also filmed and interviewed for this piece at local interior designer, Laura Ramirez’s home, alongside her fur baby, Hank.
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Locally, Mara’s designs can be found at Luna Rosa, located at 1218 Washington Street in Hoboken, The Handmade Market in Jersey City on July 23rd, and as always, via Instagram or the Alessea By Mara Etsy shop.
