When Michelle Murphy was a little girl, she’d string together some beads and give it to her mom to shop around. Her mom would “sell” her little girl’s creations and give Michelle some money. Funny, Michelle still has some of her very first bead creations sitting on her display shelf. (Her mom must have bought the jewels back ;-)

Today, this registered nurse and mom of five is creating again. Her full line of hand-made jewelry including earrings, bracelets necklaces, lariats, anklets, rings, and specialty pieces (from jewelry boxes to mirrors)are being sold--- not by her mother--- but by several stores on the South Shore (see below for a full listing of retail outlets) as well as through her online store http://www.etsy.com/shop/sealoredesigns?page=1.

Michelle’s designs, ranging in price from $50 to $400, are inspired by nature and the sea in particular, she says. She gets her ideas from nature’s colors, like a sunset, the ocean, or seashells. In fact, the name SeaLore comes from a poem, “Call of the Sea”, that Michelle wrote while sitting on the beach with her kids.

“It’s a connection that I carry through to the designs,” Michelle says.

She uses stones and gems that have healing properties, including coral, carnelian, peridot, amethyst, pearls, citrine, kyanite, aventurine, turquoise, sea glass, and chalcedony (her most requested stone). In addition, Michelle makes Braille necklaces that are inscribed with inspiring messages, be it “Embrace” or “Hope”, or the quotes of Helen Keller: “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow”.

Michelle gives 20% of the proceeds from the Braille necklaces to the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA. To that end, Michelle will commission designs to support specific causes or charities. Following the Haiti earthquake, for example, Michelle designed a line of jewelry for which 20% of the proceeds will benefit  Partners In Health and the CRUDEM foundation (supporting the Haitian healthcare facility).

She puts her energy into helping others while taking care of her large family, and that is why Michelle is an inspiration, as well. After a car accident a few years ago in which she injured her back and had to leave her nursing job, she began making jewelry again---just as gifts. Then she took a refresher class, built a web presence, shopped her items around, and now, she has a full workshop in her home.                                                           

“I didn’t realize I was artistic,” she says. “But [the business] took on a life of its own. The people in my life moved me in this direction,” she says.

Kind of like a call of the sea…..

“Call of the Sea”

 The Pull of the Sea

The Echo of the Waves

Hear it Calling      It Beckons

Come

Press Your Feet into the Sand

Feel the Ocean Encompass

As it Reaches for Land

It is the Lore of the Sea

                    --MLM---

Where to buy SeaLore Designs:

SpaScape – Scituate and Mattapoisett

The Clothes Line - Scituate

Harbor Light Toy - Scituate

Mermaids – Duxbury

DragonFly – Marshfield

Christopher’s – Scituate

Lebaron Hills CC – Lakeville

Marshfield Hills General

By Stephanie Neil

Stephanie Neil is a journalist. Her business, technology, and human interest stories have appeared in a variety of print and online newspapers and magazines including eWeek, Managing Automation, The Harvard Alumni Bulletin, Huggies Baby Network, South Shore Woman, and The Boston Globe.  She lives on the South Shore with her two kids, two cats, and a dog. Contact info: stephanieneil@comcast.net  or 781-378-1652. Follow her on Twitter @StephanieNeil