AKIN Sand Jewelry

Everything at OUAW is about sand. Yet nothing is really about sand. Instead, it’s about a sense of togetherness, of connections. And sand happens to be a great connector.

In your AKIN Sand Locket are grains from places you’ve been and want to go to, places you’ve heard of, and places still unknown—sand from every nation in the world.

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. 

In OUAW’s view, sand is more precious than diamonds. Sand can reflect the similarities, uniqueness, and beauty of places, nations, and people. Grains of sand mirror how something seemingly small can have a huge impact and prove once and for all that greatness can hide in what might appear plain and ordinary.

OUAW’s sand, origin from 195+ nations, also connects you to ideas, people, places, and happenings all over the world. To see close-ups of the different sands and find out where the sand is from in each nation, check out the OUAW Sand Map. Sand is constantly all around you. It’s the foundation for buildings, roads, artificial land, glass, paint, electronic devices. And so much more. Your life wouldn’t be the same without it.

After water, sand is the world’s second most used natural resource. The growing thirst for sand has led to it becoming a conflict-ridden international commodity. There’s even a sand mafia. People fight and kill for sand.

Sand is more than a building material, something to play in or dig your toes into. Sand can illustrate big numbers, symbolise something constantly changing or something temporary. Sand makes up playgrounds and landscapes, sand forms habitats, and sand solves mysteries. The list can continue for long.

IS EVERY NATION INCLUDED IN THE AKIN COLLECTION?

Wearing the OUAW Sand Necklace, Sand Bracelet, or Sand Broach, you’ll sooner or later get the question: “Is every nation in the world really included in OUAWs jewelry?” The easy answer is: Yes. But it can be a tricky question to answer.

OUAW’s Akin collection has sand from 195+ nations in it. This includes each and every nation 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 a bit.

How many nations 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. To stay out of political discussions, these 195 nations are the OUAW base.

Additional states recognised as independent ones by most, but not all, are Taiwan, West Sahara, and Kosovo. Then there are many independent territories that, for example in sports, qualify as nations at other times do not. Plus areas self-declared as nations without any recognition from the international communities.

At OUAW, we’re inclusive; we want to celebrate people and places regardless of political borders. Most of the “might be nations” are still included as a part of the + and the “secret ingredient”.

 

 

WHAT IS THE SECRET INGREDIENT?
The secret ingredient is a mix of sands that I, the founder, think add 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.

The story behind some included sands are or will be mentioned and described in our blog, others not. How else can it be a secret ingredient?

The secret ingredient mix is not static. You have the power to fill it with what awes you. Connect to share your thoughts, connections, or sands. Sand from the Mariana trench and the seven summits, for example, is high up on the wanted list. 😉 Please note that collecting sand from certain places may be restricted or require a permit.

 

 

 

HOW DID SAND FROM EVERY NATION END UP IN THE SAND JEWELRY?
Over 1000 hands from all over the world have joined in collecting the sand. Entrepreneurs, ambassadors, tourism organisations, 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 the whole world is very different. Many people at geological, mining, and environmental institutions have been involved in granting permits for collecting sand and sending sand out from their respective nations.

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

If you want grains of sand to be hand-picked one by one, look at the solid 14k gold Akin One by One One by One collection.

 

RECYCLED SILVER AND SAND
The Akin collection is of Scandinavian style. It’s minimalistic silver jewelry based on grains of sand. Plain jewelry that categorise as jewelry with meaning or jewelry with a purpose.

All OUAWs silver jewelry; is made of recycled silver. 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.

The individual sand grains differ in size and color, making each piece unique, even if almost the same. Placing the sand in the lockets is all done by hand. As with all that is handcrafted slight variations may apply. Please allow minor variations compared to images of the pieces.

 

 

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 and create that OUAW (wow) feeling. I also happen to love being close to sand. Sand awes me. That’s my very personal why.

Perhaps you will give it to a loved one? As:
– a connection to the world to a newly graduated student,
– as a connection to places for upcoming travelers or
– as a memory connecting back to the well-traveled, or
– as a connection to people, places, or ideas all over the world

If you are a science-oriented person, quartz grains (the most common sand grain) piezoelectric properties, that the grains emit a stable frequency at mechanical stress is, an ability used in every quartz watch might be what awes.

How grains of sand via luminescence dating reveal the age of archaeological findings may be what lights a spark for another.

For others it may be
– how sand, according to some belief systems, ward off evil spirits,
– how telling stories through sand writing is classified as a world heritage
– how sand affects our everyday lives
– how sand in sport arenas affects bolls bounciness, or
– how sandy beaches are shaped into beautiful works of art.

There are enough sand facts to awe even the most sand resilient person. (Yes, we’re biased sand-nerds).

But this is all about you. If you’d choose to wear sand, what’d be Your why?

 

 

If the sand necklace, sand bracelet, or the 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).

OUAW wants to honor you the best way we can think of – with sand. We hope you’ll love your piece, and it’ll give you a feeling of oneness with the outdoors and with ideas, people, and places of importance to you. Stay connected. Wear the world.

We’d LOVE seeing how, when, and where you wear yours. Please share your sand connecting thoughts and your look under #OUAW