{"id":13352,"date":"2026-09-25T02:40:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T06:40:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dunejewelry.com\/blog\/?p=13352"},"modified":"2026-09-25T03:07:39","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T07:07:39","slug":"sixteen-years-one-kitchen-table-a-million-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dunejewelry.com\/blog\/sixteen-years-one-kitchen-table-a-million-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"Sixteen Years, One Kitchen Table, A Million Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some stories start with a plan.<\/p>\n

Ours started with a kitchen table, a little sand, and a friend who happened to be an amazing artist.<\/p>\n

In 2007, Holly began making sand jewelry there, alongside Kellie. Nothing more than an idea between two friends: that the places we love deserve to be carried, not just remembered.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On September 28, 2010, her birthday, that idea became Dune Jewelry. She never looked back.<\/p>\n

Sixteen years later, the kitchen table is still where the story begins. It\u2019s just grown into something she couldn\u2019t have pictured back then.<\/p>\n

The Years Before the Milestones<\/h2>\n

For the first three years, Holly kept her real estate career going on the side.<\/p>\n

Long nights. A newborn business. A growing family, asking for everything she had.<\/p>\n

Then came 2012. Three real estate commissions on the books. Nothing in the pipeline. And a moment of total clarity.<\/p>\n

She knew what she wanted to build.<\/p>\n

“Navigating sleepless nights, endless to-do lists, and the trials of raising two daughters, the path was filled with perseverance and determination,” says Holly of those years. “Overcoming obstacles and breaking barriers, I not only built a thriving jewelry business but also smashed the glass ceiling in an industry often dominated by big brands and box stores.”<\/p>\n

That’s the part of the story that never quite makes it into an anniversary post. But it’s the part that built everything else.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

6,000 Sands, and Still Counting<\/a><\/h2>\n

This month, the Sandbank\u00ae<\/a> quietly crossed a milestone of its own: over 6,000 sands and rare elements<\/a>, gathered from all seven continents.<\/p>\n

The Sandbank<\/a> has never really been about sand alone. Inside, you’ll find gravel from Mount Everest’s base camp. Coal recovered from the Titanic. Copper from the Statue of Liberty. Confetti from an Eras Tour show. Historic sand from the beaches of Normandy. Beyond it you’ll see the cat whiskers, wedding flowers, or a father’s bottle cap, sent in by customers who wanted somewhere, or someone, to stay close.<\/p>\n

Every grain captures a different story. Sixteen years in, that’s still the whole point.<\/p>\n

Where the Story Has Traveled<\/h2>\n

A kitchen table in Massachusetts has led somewhere far bigger than a studio.<\/p>\n

Holly has taken Dune on the road, literally, joining the Great American Road Rally<\/a> and meeting entrepreneurs, adventurers, and fellow founders along the way. Through Dune Travels, she’s led group trips to places like Alaska, Norway, and Greece,<\/a> turning strangers into a community that plans its next adventure together.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Holly and Christine Kesteloo, Dune Travels hosts, on their 2026 Dune Travels Alaska Cruise.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Along the way, Dune\u2019s journey has been recognized beyond our own community. In 2016, Dune was named Woman-Owned Business of the Year for Massachusetts and New England by the U.S. Small Business Administration, followed by Best Vacation Jewelry Brand for two consecutive years (2024 & 2025) by Global Traveler.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"
Holly holding the Global Traveler award.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Closer to home, Dune now works with over 600 retail partners around the world<\/a> and has grown to more than 288,000 Wave Makers across our social community, each one carrying a precious memory in a one-of-a-kind design.<\/p>\n

Designs Built to Honor Powerful Women<\/h2>\n

Some of Dune’s most meaningful designs exist because of the women who inspired them.<\/p>\n

The Icon Collection has paid tribute to women<\/a> like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Dolly Parton, women who led with curiosity, generosity, and unmistakable style.<\/p>\n

The Captain Kate x Dune collaboration honors Kate McCue<\/a>, the first American woman to command a mega cruise ship. Collaborations with Christine Kesteloo<\/a> and Tiffany Rice<\/a> have turned real women’s stories into designs the whole Dune community can wear.<\/p>\n

\"Captain
Captain Kate McCue, the first American woman to command a mega cruise ship, wearing her collection.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It’s become one of the quiet threads running through sixteen years of Dune: an ongoing respect for the women who chart their own course, and a belief that their stories are worth setting in sterling silver and gold vermeil.<\/p>\n

From the Dune Bar<\/a> to the WanderLocket™<\/a><\/h2>\n

Every design tells you something about the year it was born.<\/p>\n

The Dune Bar came first<\/a>, the true original, created by Holly and Kellie at that same kitchen table, its clean linear setting giving sand a place to take center stage. The Sandrop followed<\/a>, its graceful teardrop silhouette becoming a longtime favorite. The Sandglobe\u00ae gave meaningful elements a second side to their story,<\/a>\u00a0and the Round Sandbead<\/a> arrived when charm bracelets were everywhere, and Holly gave the trend a Dune twist.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Holly’s design sketching process.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More recently, WanderLocket™<\/a> has taken that same idea and handed it back to the customer. Fill it with a seashell fragment, a pinch of sand, a shark tooth, whatever you gathered along the way, and become the artisan yourself.<\/p>\n

From the Dune Bar to WanderLocket, the setting has always changed. What it’s meant to hold never has.<\/p>\n

Giving Back, All Along the Way<\/h2>\n

Somewhere in these sixteen years, giving back stopped being separate from what Dune is about and became part of the story.<\/p>\n

To date, Dune has donated over $275,000 to charitable partners working on causes our community cares about, from ocean conservation to cancer research to disaster relief.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Holly, Kate, and Alex from 4ocean during a 4ocean beach clean-up.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our collaboration with 4ocean<\/a>, four years strong, has helped pull over 27,000 pounds of plastic and debris from oceans and coastlines. And 4ocean itself just crossed a milestone worth celebrating alongside them: over 50 million pounds of plastic and trash removed from the world’s oceans, rivers, and coastlines since 2017. A reminder that small, sustained commitments add up to something much bigger than any one company could do alone.<\/p>\n

What Sixteen Years Actually Adds Up To<\/h2>\n

More than 1 million memories captured. Over 600 designs. A Sandbank holding pieces of all seven continents. None of it happened because a business plan said it would. It happened one story, one customer, one grain at a time.<\/p>\n

Sixteen years later, the idea hasn’t changed. Live for the moment, then take it with you.<\/p>\n

Curious what your own story could look like? Explore the Sandbank\u00ae<\/a> and discover the place that’s still waiting to become yours.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":13362,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[271,342],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nSixteen Years, One Kitchen Table, A Million Stories - Dune Jewelry - Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"More than 1 million memories captured. Over 600 designs. 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