About Us

Our Mission...

...to create sustainable jewelry custom made in inclusive sizes that can be lived in, layered on, and made to shine always.

Here at Foamy Wader we handcraft sustainable minimalist jewelry for ocean lovers. Our refined collection of handmade jewelry is inspired by the seaside and handcrafted in Langley, Washington on Whidbey Island (just an hour north of Seattle). We're proud to be a female-owned family business.

Our jewelry explores nautical themes through a minimalist perspective - we've coined our aesthetic nautical minimalism. We design jewelry for all you mindful ocean lovers with understated style that want to shine like the sea everyday.

It’s our calling to create little pieces that don’t just look good, but actually feel good to wear. To serve the connection between personal style and self confidence. Simply, to bring out your inner shine each day. Tiny totems that strengthen your psychic armor and empower you through all of life's challenges. Adorn yourself and shine!

Process & Promises

Our small team handcrafts each piece with the utmost care using artisan wire work and metalsmith techniques. Read more about our founder's story below.

We believe every body is beautiful and because everybody's idea of perfect is just a little different, we focus on custom made to order jewelry. Each piece is handmade just for you in your metal and size preferences. A sizing chart is included on listings to help gauge your perfect size and we offer re-sizing at no charge.

All designs are handcrafted with demi-fine metals, lovely gemstones, and thoughtful sustainable practices. We use eco-friendly precious metals of recycled Silver and Gold, ethical stones, and charming recycled packaging. We partner with Ecocart to offset carbon emissions on shipped orders at no extra cost.

Our jewelry is water-resistant and safe to wear in the shower, swimming, or on open waters. With the exception of White Gold chain, our jewelry is Nickel-free. We offer both demi-fine and fine jewelry to accommodate individual budgets.

Part of our commitment to sustainability is our lifetime guarantee. We design our delicate pieces to be durable enough for 24/7 wear, but life happens! We repair breaks on our jewelry, no questions asked. Read more about our lifetime warranty

We are a hate-free business. We welcome clients from all walks of life and are committed to serving you with mutual dignity. No matter how you identify, we hope you feel safe and respected when you visit or connect with us. To this same point, we do not honor any requests that incorporate hate speech or symbolism (hasn't been a problem yet). Keep those positive vibes high!

Our Jeweler's Story

Alexa Allamano - jeweler, pnw lifer, unapologetic sea witch

Foamy Wader is owned and operated by artisan jeweler and expert wader, Alexa Allamano. Drawing inspiration for her jewelry from the colors, shapes, and textures of the seaside, she infuses an ethereal sense of light, airy, playfulness into her work; like the feeling of wading at the seashore.

Alexa deconstructs ocean and boating themes to create understated nautical jewelry - all about that #nauticalminimalism. She began toying with wire and gemstones in 2007 as a creative outlet from her dull day job in banking. Quickly her self-taught hobby became her passion and she opened her shop on Etsy in late 2008. Just as her fledging Etsy shop was garnering its first sales, the Great Recession set in. Amid mass layoffs in late 2008, she left behind her career in banking in favor of creating art and growing Foamy Wader. She likes to say, "got fired and then got fired up!"

THE VAGABOND YEARS

Allamano hit the road to begin showing at craft fairs and pop-ups in 2009. Since then, Alexa has participated in over 150 pop-ups, including prestigious events such as Renegade Craft Fair, Maker Faire, and Bumbershoot.
In 2010 Alexa began exhibiting at wholesale trade shows and has forged wholesale partnerships with over 130 retailers. Her jewelry can be found in boutiques across North America (see our Stockist page for details).

DROPPING ANCHOR

After four years of road trips and craft fairs every weekend, Alexa opened her first storefront in Seattle in 2014. A sweet little spot on 55th Street in Ravenna gave her a start in permanent shopkeeping (not too shabby being right next to a champagne parlor with weekend brunch)

Watch a tour of that first retail shop/studio from 2016. Filmed by Creative Live.

ISLAND LIFE

After nearly three years, Alexa couldn't resist the call of island life and re-located her shop to Whidbey Island in 2017 (while 5 months pregnant no less...) 2017-2020 was kind of a blur. [Insert dreamy sequence of juggling new motherhood with shopkeeping. Having the opportunity to hire and grow the business. Even showing at an occasional craft fair and going on a trip as a family.] Though Allamano loved the second location, 2020 and COVID brought about big changes. She felt driven to re-evaluate and better align Foamy Wader with her vision for the future. She opted to relocate the store yet again - this time just two blocks away in Langley.

THE SCAN TO SHOP

For her third (and current) store Alexa innovated Scan to Shop window shopping - as in literal window shopping. Visit the store 24/7 to shop through the windows and scan the QR codes to order online. The first of its kind; Alexa has become an unintentional window shopping guru teaching her method to other retailers.

Allamano currently oversees all aspects of Foamy Wader. Resident "shop hunk" Matthew (aka the Foamy Husband) can be spotted manning the counter from time-to-time.

While she wasn't born into the jewelry trade, she's been heavily influenced by her parents and grandfather. Alexa's surname is Italian for "by hand". Her grandfather John was a sailor and a gemcutter, instilling in her a deep love for both stones and boating. She was inspired to be her own boss by her father who owned the infamous motorcycle repair shop John's British Cycles for over thirty years in Seattle (directly across the street from Alexa's first storefront). A creative from an early age, Alexa's team won the gold medal at the 1996 Odyssey of the Mind world championship. That medal now hangs in her office.

For even more of the story, watch this wonderful interview with Evening Magazine from just after relocating to Whidbey in 2017.

Memories...

Testimonials & Press

We've garnered so much positive feedback in our 13+ years in business! Check out our reviews on Yelp, Google, Facebook, and over 1300 5-star reviews on Etsy.

Not so #humblebrag... our jewelry has graced the pages of Elle, JCK, The Seattle Times, and Bust Magazine. We've also been featured in Inc, Entrepreneur, HuffPo, The Financial Times, The Boston Globe, and more!

Our Storefront

Find us on Whidbey Island at 206 First Street, Langley, WA 98260. We moved into our dreamy waterfront showroom in August 2022. The store is open seven days a week year round (only closed for Thanksgiving and Christmas). We are open daily from 10-6; in the Winter we close at 4pm on Sundays.

When we moved into our waterfront space, our previous jewelbox store transformed into our jeweler's private office (or "Captain's Quarters") and is still the site of the Window Shop, available for scan-to-shop window shopping 24/7. We offer complimentary consultations by appointment. Book an appt for a private sit down with our master jeweler to discuss the custom jewelry piece/s of your dreams.

Questions? Send us a message, or give us a call (206) 778-8469

Permanent Jewelry

We offer permanent jewelry at 206 First Street. Drop-ins are welcome daily from 12-3pm to get "welded by the water".

Never heard of permanent jewelry before? Here's how it works... You choose your favorite style/s from our selection of Silver, Gold Fill, and 14K chains available for forever bracelets, anklets, and necklaces. We fit the chain to your liking and then zap it closed around you for a literal "never-take-it-off" piece.

Our forever jewelry is backed by our same lifetime guarantee. Should you ever need to cut your piece off (say, for medical reasons) a we will re-weld it for free.