We are a small team of passionate beach lovers who love to create beautiful glass beads and silver jewellery.

Our little studio is based in the village of Braunton, North Devon about a 5 minute drive from the glorious beaches of Saunton and Croyde. 

A little about Nalu and how it all began...

What does Nalu mean?….It is the Hawaiian word for wave, but it also means to ponder, meditate or go with the flow. There’s more to a Nalu bead than meets the eye. Each Nalu bead tells a story…

Lisa Mepstead, founder of Nalu Beads, has always lived by the sea, on the wild Atlantic coast of England. Her earliest memories are of walking the beach collecting shells and pebbles, fascinated by the natural treasures given up by the ocean.

It was in 2008 that this love of the sea flowed into the nalu bead, where she teamed up with local glass makers to produce a small range of glass beads. In the years since, nalu has gone from supplying local surf shops to supplying stockists all over Europe and sending orders all over the world.

In 2013 Rhiannon Davis joined Lisa at Nalu Beads, inspired by her love for all things bright and beautiful and many years travelling the world to surf.

Lisa retired and left Nalu in 2021 to chase her dream of learning to sail and spend more time travelling, leaving the company in the sole hands of Rhiannon.

Together we have built a small team of talented designers, lamp workers and ocean lovers who bring you the range of nalu products you see here today.

Nalu beads are inspired by the distinctive colours of the beaches and breaks they represent, but also by a tradition that stems from the roots of modern day surfing.

In the 1960’s, a time before the internet or Google maps, knowledge of international surf spots was little more than a whisper, passed on by word of mouth as surfers travelled the world seeking the best waves.

Surfing was (and for us still is!) a way of life, a spiritual calling, a lifetime dedication. As paths crossed and the trails were followed, these surf travellers, fuelled on hippie vibes, would return with tales of exotic places and perfect waves. These surfers had a distinctive look too.

Part of this look was the Goulimine beads they wore, signifying their freedom of spirit. Originally from Morocco, but traded amongst surfers, these beads were beautifully coloured and full of character, each one distinctive, each one telling a story.

And so this was the place where the nalu bead began and has continued.

Nalu beads are a reflection of those surfing roots, jewellery with colours that flow like the waves of the breaks that inspire them, jewellery that is an expression of the wearer, of where they’ve been, of how they live their life…