AKIN World Sand Jewelry

MORE ABOUT THE AKIN COLLECTION

Do you want to connect with something beyond the self? A feeling of oneness with people, places, and activities worldwide?

It sparked the idea of AKIN — a desire to be close, even at a distance.

Imagine people all over the world heading out to gather sand. And uniting all sand into one piece of jewelry. It’s how the story of OUAW’s sand jewelry starts. 

Every AKIN Sand Locket contains sand from all around the world. Sand from places you’ve been to or want to go to, sites you’ve heard of, and locations still unknown—grains of sand from every country in the world.

Sand is sustainably collected in partnerships with geologists, travelers, environmental organizations, government departments, ambassadors, and kind-hearted people worldwide.

Each piece is a tribute to the beauty and diversity of our planet and a reminder of the connectedness that unites us all.

WHY SAND?

Everything at OUAW connects to sand. Yet nothing is really about sand. Instead, it’s about a sense of togetherness, of connections. Connections to people, places, and ideas worldwide and connection to feeling awe or “Oh wow!

And sand happens to be a great “oh wow” connector. That sand is tiny enough to enable carrying parts of every country in the world close to your heart is a bonus. 

Sand can connect you with science, culture, history, sports, philosophy, and more. Sand connects to awe. And to you. Sand can mirror strength in numbers and prove that nothing is too small to matter. 

After water, sand is the world’s most used natural resource. Buildings, roads, bridges, railways, energy infrastructure, glass, semiconductors, and more have sand as a base. Sand is also used in paint, plastic, toothpaste, cosmetics, and medicines. In addition, sand filters drinking water and protect against floods.

The list goes on. Whether you’re close to a sandy place or not, you’re dependent on and surrounded by sand.

The already high demand for sand is increasing. It’s becoming a conflict-ridden international commodity. There is even a sand mafia that fights and kills for sand.

OUAW’s sand, originating from 195+ nations, also connects with ideas, people, places, and happenings worldwide. To see close-ups of the different sands and find out where the sand is from in each country, check out the OUAW Sand Origins. 

HOW DOES SAND FROM EVERY COUNTRY END UP IN THE SAND JEWELRY?

Gathering parts from every country to create something that literally holds the world is far from a one-person show. Over 1000 hands from all over the world have joined in collecting the sand.

Various individuals and groups, including entrepreneurs, ambassadors, tourism organizations, travelers, and locals, have kindly helped to get the sand for your sand locket jewelry.

Collecting grains of sand from all over the world is one thing. Collecting legal sand from all over is very different. Numerous individuals from geological, mining, and environmental institutions have played important roles in issuing permits for collecting sand and sending sand out from their respective nations.

IS EVERY COUNTRY INCLUDED IN THE AKIN COLLECTION?

Wearing the OUAW Sand Necklace, Sand Bracelet, or Sand Broach, you’ll sooner or later get the question if every single country in the world is in your jewelry.

The simple answer is: Yes. But it can be a tricky question to answer.

How many countries there are in the world depends on who is doing the counting. Some say 193, many 197, others 201, 204, or even 249.

The number of nations with full membership in the UN is 193. Then there are two states as permanent observer states to the UN. The 195 UN nations are the OUAW base to stay out of political discussions.

OUAW’s Akin collection has sand from 195+ nations in it. This includes each and every country and observer state in the United Nations, UN. The + stands for a list of extras; it is OUAW’s secret ingredient to spice it up.

Additional states recognized as independent ones by most, but not all, are Taiwan, West Sahara, and Kosovo. Sand from these is included.

Additionally, there are independent territories that may be considered nations solely in the context of sports but are not commonly recognized as such otherwise. Plus, self-declared nations, some large areas and some no bigger than a football field, without any recognition from the international community.

OUAW believes in inclusivity, allowing people and places to shine beyond political borders. Our jewelry includes grains of sand from “possible nations” as our secret ingredient, celebrating diversity and unity in every piece.

For the Akin collection in silver, the founder of OUAW carefully handpicks a teaspoon of sand grains from 195+ jars to make small sand batches for the jewelry. The sand is well blended before it’s little by little placed between sapphire glass to make the silver sand lockets.

If you want grains of sand to be handpicked individually, look at the solid gold Akin One by One.

WHAT IS THE SECRET INGREDIENT?

The secret ingredient is a blend of sands that I, the founder, consider add in something extra. It can be sand from extreme points, historical places, places of religious importance, or sand from places, events, or phenomena that struck awe for some reason or another.

You will find the story behind some of the “secret sands” in the blog or on OUAW’s social media, others not. How else can it be a secret?

The secret ingredient blend is dynamic. You have the power to fill it with what awes you. Connect to share your thoughts, connections, or sands. For example, sand from the Mariana Trench and the seven summits is high on the wanted list. 😉

Please note that collecting sand from certain places may be restricted or require a permit.

RECYCLED SILVER, SAND, AND SMALL SCALE JEWELRY MAKING

All OUAWs silver jewelry; is made of recycled silver. Like the sand, the silver carries its own history.

Recycled silver is an eco-friendlier alternative to newly mined silver made from re-melted old jewelry, medical equipment, and electronics. Recycled silver is of the same quality as new, simply more environmentally friendly.

Our production is small-scale and mindful, and each OUAW piece is hand-finished.

Each grain of sand in our lockets is unique in size and color, creating one-of-a-kind pieces that are almost identical. Placing the sand in the lockets is done by hand, and slight variations may apply as with all that is handcrafted. Therefore, please allow and expect minor variations compared to images of the pieces.

The Akin collection is of Scandinavian style. It’s minimalistic silver jewelry based on grains of sand. Plain jewelry with a meaning.

WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO WEAR SAND AS YOUR JEWELRY? 

I hope you’ll come to love your piece and that it’ll connect you to people, places, and ideas close to you. That it’ll become a statement of you.

To me, OUAW’s founder, jewelry can be more than an accessory. It can connect and reflect something beyond the self, creating that OUAW [oh wow] feeling. I hope you feel the same if you choose to wear OUAW.

Sand awes me. Wide sand beaches, vast sand deserts, sandy shores along winding waterways worldwide, and warm-hearted people are “oh-wow” to me. At the same time, I rarely leave my base in Sweden. The idea of collecting sand worldwide and carrying it close as jewelry came from the desire to feel close to places, people, and wow factors regardless. That’s my personal why.

The feeling of togetherness, globe-trotting, and a celebration of the beauty and diversity in the world is the AKIN sand locket base. 

For you, it could be something else that evokes emotion as for example:
– how sand, according to some belief systems, wards off evil spirits,
– how telling stories via sand writing classifies as a world heritage
– how sand affects our everyday lives
– how sand solves mysteries or
– sand shaped into beautiful works of art

This is about you. What’s your why for wearing sand? Send a short PM, DM, or mail and tell!

If the sand necklace, sand bracelet, or sand broach speaks to you, it likely has to do with more than looks. (Don’t get us wrong; we’re also proud of the design and hope you’ll adore it).

We hope you’ll love your piece, giving you a feeling of oneness with the outdoors and with ideas, people, and places of importance to you. That gives you goosebumps. That awes.

STAY CONNECTED. WEAR THE WORLD

P.S. We’d LOVE to see how, when, and where you wear yours. Please share your look under #OUAW.