It must be true love

By Kirsti Scott

When Brian and Alex were beachcombing at their favorite local beach, Alex thought Brian had picked up something cool. “He came up to me with his hand cupped as if he found a really good piece,” Alex says. When he opened his hand, there was a beautiful ring in his palm. “I really thought he found a ring.” What he really had was a custom-made engagement ring from Betty Belts, a gallery and jewelry shop in Ventura, California. Brian had commissioned the ring to be created with a piece of sea glass that he had found on the beach in Seaham, England, on a recent trip with Alex.

“I was definitely surprised, to say the least!” exclaims Alex. To continue the sea glass theme, Brian and Alex commissioned a custom wedding ring and wedding bands from Glasswing Jewelry using a piece of Brian’s found glass from Orange County, California.

“Sea glass has been such a special part of our journey together,” says Alex. “It has given Brian and me lovely excuses to travel to unique corners of the world that we would have never seen otherwise.

We love being little archaeologists as we research each location’s history and get excited about what we may find. Having a hobby that we enjoy together has truly brought us closer.”

Brian and Alex were together for nine years before getting married in Santa Barbara in August 2023. They just celebrated ten years together with their first wedding anniversary.

“As for our sea glass, our collections remain separate as ‘his and hers’ so it was a big deal for Brian to select not one, but two pieces from his collection that I would get to wear,” Alex explains. “Now that’s love!”

All photos courtesy of Alex and Brian Weinberg.

This article appeared in Beachcombing Magazine Volume 46 the January/February 2025 issue.