Nostalgem - Miniature Shell Jewellery from New Zealand

27/10/2026

25/10/2026

I thought we were looking for the same kind of treasure. Turns out, he had something quite different in mind.

I spotted this elderly man beachcombing along Zaimokuza Beach in Kamakura. His back was bent with age, and he was slowly making his way across the sand.

Being a fellow beachcomber, I was curious about what he’d found.

Rusty nails. Screws from fishing boats. Bits of broken glass.

He told me he picks them up so the kids running barefoot on the beach don’t hurt their little feet.

And what a character. A little reluctant when I first asked for a photo, then happily playing up for the camera.

“I’m just an old man,” he said.

I went looking for little treasures that day and found another kind altogether.

An old man with a little daily purpose: making the beach safer for small, bare feet.

Perhaps that’s his ikigai. He simply called it being “just an old man.”

Share this if you love his ikigai.

-Rina

25/10/2026

I thought we were looking for the same kind of treasure. Turns out, he had something quite different in mind.

I spotted this elderly man beachcombing along Zaimokuza Beach in Kamakura. His back was bent with age, and he was slowly making his way across the sand.

Being a fellow beachcomber, I was curious about what he’d found.

Rusty nails. Screws from fishing boats. Bits of broken glass.

He told me he picks them up so the kids running barefoot on the beach don’t hurt their little feet.

And what a character. A little reluctant when I first asked for a photo, then happily playing up for the camera.

“I’m just an old man,” he said.

I went looking for little treasures that day and found another kind altogether.

An old man with a little daily purpose: making the beach safer for small, bare feet.

Perhaps that’s his ikigai. He simply called it being “just an old man.”

Share this to someone who will appreciate this man’s treasures.

23/10/2026

I found a little reminder of home on a beach in Japan… 🐚

Awabi! Japan’s abalone, a relative of our New Zealand pāua. Different species, but that familiar shell shape and pearly shimmer made me think of home.

Abalone has been part of life in Katsuura for centuries. Shells found in a local cave date back to around the third century. Along Chiba’s coast, skilled divers have traditionally held their breath to gather abalone from rocky reefs. Women and men do this work; around Katsuura’s Hachiman Cape, the tradition has mostly been carried on by male divers.

At Mioya, a quaint family restaurant, the owner showed us a giant abalone his father collected during his diving days in California. He told us those enormous catches fetched big money. An antique diving helmet and shells displayed among family photos added another chapter to the story.

Naturally, I tried the soy-grilled awabi at Katsuura’s morning market. ¥800 for a skewer. Yummy!

Then I found a lady selling polished shells and shell crafts… and even spotted shells set into a stone wall. Plenty to keep this shell lover happy.

Back home, our familiar blackfoot pāua has those beautiful blues, greens and purples. I use tiny farm-grown pāua shells from Bluff, a by-product of farming for food, keeping their natural shapes in my Pāua Pair necklaces.

From a giant family keepsake to the miniature shells on my workbench—there’s always another shell story.

Share this with another shell lover. 🐚

Pāua Pair necklaces: nostalgem.com/products/tiny-paua-kina-shell-pair-necklace

22/10/2026

Welcome to Nostalgem!
-Rina

21/10/2026

I do love chasing waves and coming home with a pocketful of little sea treasures when I travel. But one of the loveliest parts of a trip is meeting the locals and hearing their stories.

This is My Girl, a little retro café near Katsuura harbour. Up the stairs you’ll find an old-school Japanese coffee shop filled with surf photographs, vintage boards and rock ’n’ roll memorabilia.

So much to look at… I could have stayed for hours.

The café belonged to Mr Iwase, a local surf legend who spent more than 50 years riding waves.

He has sadly passed away, and his wife now keeps it going with help from their son Yu, a former pro surfer who also teaches surfing locally.

How fitting it is about her carrying on the café, too. The name My Girl feels almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy, as though it was always meant to become hers.

She also has a wonderful sense of humour. When I asked if she surfs too, she smiled and replied, “I just sleep by the sea.”

Lovely people, a café full of memories, and a shared love of the sea. Another little treasure from this trip.

-Rina

20/10/2026

My August trip to Manila was supposed to be Work & Waves. The weather had other ideas. 🌧️

Monsoon rain, typhoons and floods meant no surfing. But looking back, I got a lot done.

I trained Ada and Sunshine to help hand-sculpt jewellery, and spent time with family and my sisters.

Perhaps being stuck indoors wasn’t such a bad thing after all. 😊

A little look back at a trip that didn’t go quite to plan, but still had plenty of good in it.

Rina