Yes — every nation is in there. But “every nation” is a more complex phrase than it sounds.

How many nations exist in the world depends on who is counting. Some say 193, many say 197, others count 201, 204, 221 or even 249.

The base is the UN framework: 193 member states plus 2 observer states — 195 in total. That is the foundation.

But OUAW goes further. Sand from Taiwan, Kosovo and Western Sahara is in the collection, along with sand from places that are treated as nations in some contexts but not others. OUAW’s position is simple: if people live there and call it home, it belongs in the collection.

Yes — North Korea is in there. The Vatican too. Every single one.

So when we say sand from every nation, we mean it seriously.

This is not about taking political positions. It is about acknowledging people and places with care and respect.

All sand was collected legally. In many parts of the world, collecting sand is restricted or prohibited; protected beaches, nature reserves, geological sites. Every sample was gathered with the knowledge and cooperation of local authorities, geological institutions and environmental organizations. Permits were obtained. Protected areas were respected. Building the collection took years.

Each piece also contains sand from a small number of additional locations, extraordinary places chosen for what they represent rather than where they sit on a map. We call this the secret ingredient. Some of these locations are documented in Sand Origins or occasionally shared on social media. Others remain part of what makes each piece unique. You can read more about this in the separate FAQ.

All 195+ collection sites are documented in Sand Origins,  find it in the top menu.

Collecting sand from every nation is one thing. Collecting it legally is something very different.

It took six years. And persistence — asking, waiting, asking again. And again. Then once more.

The founder of OUAW, together with family, friends and eventually a global network of more than 1,000 people — geologists, travelers, researchers, locals and institutions across every continent — built the collection piece by piece.

Sand collection is restricted or prohibited in many places — protected beaches, nature reserves, geological sites. The rules vary by country, region and sometimes by specific location. Permits were obtained. Protected areas were respected. Every sample was gathered with the knowledge and cooperation of local authorities and environmental organizations.

This is not casual souvenir collecting. It is documented, permitted, cooperative work.

Slowly the jars filled.

Beyond the 195+ nations, each AKIN and BOND piece contains sand from a small number of additional locations. We call this the secret ingredient.

These places are chosen not for political borders but for what they represent: extreme points of the planet, sites tied to human history, belief, exploration and achievement.

Sand from Greenland — politically part of Denmark, yet too vast and distinct not to stand on its own here. Sand from Everest Base Camp. From the birthplace traditionally associated with the Buddha. From sports arenas and rocket launch sites.

Places where humanity has tested limits, expanded knowledge, or gathered together.

Not all locations are disclosed. Some appear in Sand Origins or occasionally on social media. Others remain part of what makes each piece impossible to fully replicate.

The secret ingredient is not static. If you hold sand from a place you believe belongs in it, you are welcome to reach out.

Grains are selected individually by the founder of OUAW.

Selection often starts with place — the location carries its own meaning before the form is even considered. A grain from Everest Base Camp. One from beneath St Peter’s Square in Vatican City. Sand collected along the route of Vasaloppet or from the desert floor of Marathon des Sables.

Beyond location, thousands of grains are examined under magnification. Most are ordinary fragments. Occasionally one stands out — a structure, symmetry or geometry that reveals something unexpected when enlarged.

Some grains take recognizable shapes: a star, a spiral, a pillar. Others are biological in origin — a fragment of an ancient sea lily or a sea urchin spine, reduced by time to the size of a grain. These are chosen because their structure tells a story that purely geological grains cannot.

Selected grains are scanned using micro-CT imaging to capture their exact three-dimensional form.

Not every grain translates well into a piece. Some are too fragile, too complex, or lose definition when enlarged. Selection therefore balances two things: what nature has shaped, and what can be successfully cast.

Selected grains are placed in a scanner at a research facility and X-rayed from hundreds of angles. Each grain is carefully mounted on a thin rod and placed inside a machine the size of a small room — built to image something barely visible to the naked eye. 

The contrast alone says something about what the small can reveal.

The result is not an interpretation of a grain. It is an exact model of one. The shape you see in each piece comes directly from nature.

Micro-CT works like an X-ray scanner in a hospital — but at much higher resolution and directed at very small objects. In OUAW’s case: individual grains of sand.

Each AKIN and BOND piece begins with the same process. Grains are selected by hand from 195+ individual jars — one for each nation. A small amount from each jar is carefully measured out, then hand-blended into a single mix.

For AKIN pieces, the blend is then placed by hand between two sapphire crystals and set in recycled sterling silver. 

Each piece of jewelry is filled by hand. The size, color, and distribution of the sand grains naturally vary. No two are identical.

For BOND pieces, the blend is mixed directly into the concrete — not displayed, not separated, bound into the material itself.

The mix is ​​personally made by the founder of OUAW. Each jar is carefully labeled. After six years of sand collection, there was never a question of handing over the final step.

Each piece contains many more than 195 grains — exactly how many we leave to you to count.

Yes — and we mean it.

If you have sand from a place that feels like it belongs in the collection, we would genuinely like to hear from you. A location with personal significance. A place that rarely appears on maps. Sand from somewhere extraordinary that you happened to pass through.

Before collecting, please check the local rules. Sand collection is restricted or prohibited in many places — protected beaches, nature reserves, geological sites. When in doubt, contact the local environmental or governmental office.

If you are sending sand, please include:

• The precise location — GPS coordinates, address, or clear description. Unlabelled sand cannot be used.
• if avaliable – a photo of the place. If you or the person collecting is in the photo, even better.
• Any personal connection to the location or reason you chose it.

Pack the sand in a double ziplock bag or small plastic bottle and mark the envelope or box: Mineral samples — no commercial value

Get in touch at hello@ouaw.se and we will send you a shipping address.

Sand that arrives may be featured on Sand Origins or social media. It may also find its way into future pieces.

Normally no. But then again, everything is doable.

If you have sand from a place with personal significance and want a piece made from it, there are two possibilities.

GRAINS — one grain. Magnified.

A single grain. From a place or a moment that matters. Based on a grain you’ve selected or one we help you find withing your sand. Micro -CT scanned at a research facility and it’s exact structure recreated in silver or gold. 

The same process used in the GRAINS collection — where one grain is magnified and made visible.

AKIN — your sand, within the whole

If you want your sand added to an AKIN piece — it’s possible in the gold version.

Your sand is blended into the existing material from 195+ nations.
Not instead of. As part of it.

Your sand is added to the existing blend from 195+ nations. A custom engraving can also be included.

No excluded nations.  That all are included included is the core idea behind AKIN.

Delivery time from 14 weeks. Prices start at around USD 2,300. Get in touch at hello@ouaw.se to discuss.

Sand is the most ordinary material on Earth. We walk past it every day without looking.

But under magnification, a single grain reveals structure and geometry shaped by pressure and time over millions of years. In GRAINS, that hidden form is what you wear.

In AKIN, sand from every nation on Earth is gathered into one piece — not a symbol of the world, but a material sample of it.

In English the word grit means two things: sand, and the quiet determination to keep going. OUAW sits exactly in that overlap.

The small is never small — not in the world, not in you.