By Oyaol Ngirairikl

On the shores of Angaur, a southern island state of Palau, 22-year-old Jayna Edwina Dilmesikd Kasiano is quietly transforming ocean-tumbled glass fragments into wearable art. 

Her journey began in 2020, in the midst of the COVID pandemic. It started as a creative experiment, but by 2021, Kasiano had officially launched SinceShorely Yours, her own jewelry business. The name, she says, is a play on words that reflects her sincerity in her artistry, and her deep connection to the beach that serves as both her playground and her treasure trove. 

She sells her jewelry at local stores and boutiques in Palau and has a strong online presence where people from all around the world find and purchase her jewelry. Within a few days of posting as many as a two dozen new pieces, most — if not all — are sold, often to the disappointment of those who see her posts too late. 

Her journey is as much about personal growth as it is about the shimmering pieces she crafts from sea glass.

“I haven’t been the most artistic in the sense of creating things until my jewelry,” she reflects. “I mostly enjoy creative outlets like reading and writing,” Kasiano says. 

She had been collecting sea glass from the shores of her island state since she was a child. 

“During the COVID lockdown, there wasn’t much to do and I had a surplus of sea glass from years of collecting … so I started looking into what I could do with them and eventually figured I could make jewelry and accessories as well,” she says. 

The process of making the jewelry is time consuming. It starts with collecting the glass and then painstakingly matching them in size and color if she’s going to make earrings, which are particularly popular. What’s both fortunate and unfortunate, she says, is there’s a lot of glass from which to choose. Once she selects a piece, or pairs, or groups of sea glass she begins the task of setting them with her metals to create earrings, necklace, bracelets, or anklets. She’s even created wind chimes and fancy pens, filling the clear handles with sea glass. 

Kasiano’s parents provided early support with small purchases for the supplies and tools she needed to do her work. With the help of a $4,000 loan from the National Development Bank of Palau, facilitated by the Small Business Development Center, the initial funding helped her turn her creative pursuit into a sustainable operation, with annual costs ranging between $2,500 and $3,000. Her pieces sell for anywhere from about $5 to $25. 

Launching a business from Angaur comes with its own set of challenges. Operating from Angaur, which is a roughly two-hour boat ride from Palau’s business district and former capital of Koror, means Kasiano relies heavily on social media to promote her jewelry. 

“It’s the only way to advertise my products on a more extensive level,” she explains. To keep her clients engaged, she posts fun videos that show the beautiful shores where she collects, as well as videos or photos of jewelry or other products in different stages of production. 

While she dreams of launching an online store, for now her handcrafted pieces can be found at select locations in Koror and Airai, including:

• Rur Gift Shop & Cafe
• Palau Aquarium
• Palau Royal Resort Gift Shop
• Overdrive
• Palau Central Hotel Boutique
• Palau Visitor’s Authority
• VIP Lounge (at the airport)

Despite her growing presence, Kasiano acknowledges the hurdles: “There are many challenges in having a business stationed in Angaur that I wouldn’t have if I were based in Koror.” 

Issues with shipping, online payments, and customs clearance remain persistent obstacles, she says. 

Looking ahead, Kasiano envisions a dedicated workshop and, eventually, an online shop to reach a broader audience. 

“A dream of mine would be for my business to be more accessible online and in general,” she says, highlighting her ongoing efforts to overcome logistical barriers.

Kasiano’s entrepreneurial journey has taught her the value of patience and enjoyment. “Something I would’ve liked to tell myself if I could go back is to enjoy the process more.” For aspiring business owners, her advice is simple yet profound: “It needs to be something you’re passionate about. Opportunities will come as long as what you’re doing is something you’re fully committed to and genuinely enjoy.”

For Kasiano, the greatest reward is the freedom and flexibility that comes with managing her own business. Each piece of sea glass jewelry is more than an accessory—it’s a testament to resilience, creativity, and the enduring beauty found along Angaur’s shores.

You can find SinceShorely Yours on Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sinceshorelyyoursxo; Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sinceshorely.yoursxo.7 and IG: https://www.instagram.com/sinceshorelyyours.xo/?hl=en