Betty Belts is based on the Gold Coast in the beach community of Ventura, California. Owner/Designer, Donna von Hoesslin draws her inspiration from her love of the ocean, surfing, and an active lifestyle. When merged with experiences gained through 17 years of living in Europe (Berlin), she discovered a means of converting ardent passion into an elegant and very connected design modus, which gave birth to a socially conscious business that reflects the deeper values of a life lived around the sea.

To create meaningful products that connect our Ocean Ohana to the sea and to each other.

The Betty Belts journey began in 2003, a few years after I discovered the joy of surfing, and deep healing from simply being the ocean. Out of the water, my passion for life by sea and creative drive fused in the form of upcycled surfboard resin and sea glass jewelry designs.

With sea glass gifted from the ocean, and surfboard resin scraps (a.k.a “surfite”) sourced from local board builders, the Betty B. signature collection blossomed into meaningful and beautiful rings, pendants, necklaces, earrings, bracelets and more.

I stay true to my commitment to the community of artisans who handcraft my sea glass and resin jewelry, the dreams of those whose lives are inspired by the sea, and the preservation of environment, culture, and all that is genuine.

In 2023, our brand celebrated 20 blessed years– we’ve updated our core values with hopes to share them throughout our beloved Ocean Ohana & Betty community across the globe.

1. Social + Environmental Sustainability

2. Authentic Individualism

3. Integrity

4. Gratitude

5. Courage

6. Kindness + Compassion

7. Faith

Dear Ocean Lovers,

My business is based on my love for and desire to stay connected to God and to the Ocean. It is very fulfilling creating something beautiful and made with dignity, which gives back and simultaneously expresses love for the Ocean.

Social and environmental responsibility have been priorities of my business since day one in March 2o03. This is nothing new to me. My goal is to continue down this road using sustainable, repurposed, recycled, organic and natural materials whenever possible. I am focused on reducing waste to a bare minimum. I consider the impact in every choice I make for my business, my home, and always look for the most sustainable method– even if it takes a lot more time and effort to find a feasible solution. Efforts like these are the foundational building blocks of hope for a better world. A cleaner, simpler and less wasteful world which we can all work toward step-by-step.

Thank you for reading this. I hope to inspire other girls and women to go their own direction, and make their work as fun and fulfilling as mine has been on this amazing adventure so far.

Thank you for visiting my home on the web. Please spread the Aloha to other Ocean Lovers!

Donna von Hoesslin ⎜ Ventura, California

♥ Ocean