NAHANT — Conservationist Michael Coller proudly presented a $220 check using funds raised from his homemade jewelry to members of Nahant Preservation Trust (NPT) earlier this week.
Thankful for the gift, NPT president Emily Potts said the money will help cover the organization’s legal fees as it fights against Northeastern University’s expansion project on Nahant’s East Point.
“We’re all feeling emotional about the project, so when Michael called me and said ‘I’d like to donate to the Preservation Trust,’ I was (grateful),” Potts said as she met with Coller at Canoe Beach Wednesday. “This is somebody who I had never even met, and I’d never seen his jewelry. It was a generous offer, and it came at a very good time.”
Last month, as a way to raise money for local conservation efforts, Coller began selling bracelets, necklaces, rings, and earrings made from ocean debris he’d collected since moving to Nahant five months ago.
As a lifelong beach lover, the burgeoning jeweler said he wanted to find a way to give back to his new community while helping to preserve Nahant’s beautiful shoreline in the process.
“My dedication and love for the environment just kicked in again — the seashore, the waterways, the estuaries. That was a big part of why I wanted to give back to the community and to nature,” he told The Item in July. “I kind of fell in love with (Canoe Beach). If you’ve been there, it’s just an illustrious, eye-catching beach.”
He added: “I’ve been to probably every beach in the Carribean, including the Sea of Cortez, and I just shake my head going, ‘why did I go to those beaches? I’ve got some of the most beautiful beaches right down the street from my house.’”
While he met with Potts and NPT board member Diane Monteith in the Canoe Beach parking lot Wednesday, Coller gave a short demonstration of his collection, which he said he hopes to expand in the near future.
The pieces, which are put together with the help of Coller’s longtime acquaintance and Sassoun Jewelry owner, Arthur Hovsepian, are meant to make a statement and highlight the natural beauty of Nahant beaches.
“I think his pieces are extremely interesting,” Potts said. “It’s fascinating to me that he’s just taking stuff that comes onto shore and uses it. Some would say trash, but it’s really treasure.”
Inquiries about Coller’s jewelry can be made by contacting him at (978) 375-9651, or emailing him at [email protected]. Some select pieces are also available on Coller’s page at OfferUp.com.
Elyse Carmosino can be reached at [email protected].
