Dave and Loretta reside at Sipayik (Pleasant Point), Maine. Sipayik (pronounced SUE-BUY-IK) is one of three, first nation reservations,  that are located within the ancient homeland of the Passamaquoddy people—the Bay of Fundy region. Passamaquoddy (meaning the people who spear pollack) have called this place home for thousands of years. The Passamaquoddy are a part of the Wabanaki Alliance (people of the dawn), Algonquin speaking eastern woodland native Americans, residing in New England and the Maritime provinces of Canada.

Dave and Loretta also call Hatteras Island, on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, home as well. They spend most of the winter months gathering some of the areas bountiful sea shell varieties including wampum. (Wampum is the white and purple quahog shell fragments once used as a form of currency and for recording tribal laws, treaties, and other notable events by native American tribes along the Atlantic coast.)

The Outer Banks oceanographic conditions—where the Labrador current meets the gulf stream—make it one of the world’s premier shell gathering areas.

It is interesting to note that Loretta and Dave’s two homes—Maine, bordering the maritime provinces of Canada, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina—comprise the northern and southern extent of the Algonquin speaking tribes. It seems fitting then, that all SEA FEATHERS stone, shell and sea glass are sourced from this area, making a connection that goes back at least 10,000 years!

Further, in that Atlantic native tribes were unfamiliar with glass objects, utilizing instead exquisite basket and pottery items before the arrival of newcomers from Europe, the sea glass found in this region can claim to be the oldest in North America!                   

Our company name, Sopiel’s (Sopiel is Loretta’s Passamaquoddy family name) SEA FEATHERS, is representative of the countless ways in which feathers were used as a form of expression and symbolic decoration by native Americans since time immemorial, and by the fact that all of our sea stones, sea shells, and sea glass are authentically and individually sourced from the Atlantic shores of the rockbound Bay of Fundy and the sandy beaches of the Outer Banks. Each of our jewelry creations speaks to this tradition and history.

Not only is the Bay of Fundy blessed with some of the world’s most delectable seafood but also with a wonderful variety of geological gems. Agate and jasper, granite and quartzes, abound in a rainbow of colors and shapes. We polish our sea pebbles and many of our sea shells to remove any sharp edges and to add a beautiful luster—but that’s it! The stones and shells maintain the shape, character and beautiful colors as the sea produced them. Beautiful all on their own! 

Sopiel’s SEA FEATHERS also honor requests for custom made pieces for our clients who often find their own beach treasures of sea glass or shell. We can usually find just the right ingredients to make an exquisitely beautiful and personal piece of jewelry for our customer’s special treasures!

Sopiel’s SEA FEATHERS jewelry is available at only the finest galleries and gift stores in Maine and North Carolina’s Outer Banks, as well as native American museums or other fine educational institution gift shop in those states. Our jewelry is fully guaranteed for repair or replacement resulting from any material failure or workmanship issues should they arise.