Sustainable Spotlight: FIN Montauk
Bella Ornaf is a shark wrangler, conservationist, and the founder of FIN Montauk. She started her jewelry brand off the coast of New York to create unique pieces while promoting shark conservation and education. Her team ethically sources fossilized shark teeth, primarily from prehistoric Megalodons, that are found 200 feet deep on the seafloor of the Atlantic Ocean. We caught up with Bella to learn more about her experience working and diving with sharks, and how this ultimately led her to create FIN Montauk.
SC: Tell us about your journey to launching FIN Montauk. Why did you decide to start a jewelry brand?
BO: I felt like a lot of affordable jewelry brands were unethical and all doing the same thing. I was working on a shark diving boat out of Montauk and selling fossilized shark teeth. Some of them could be wire wrapped and turned into necklaces, but I wanted to elevate it. My vision was to create something that could be worn to the beach but also be elegant with an edge -- all while promoting the importance of sharks and our oceans as a whole.
SC: You used to be a shark wrangler. Is there one memory/encounter from this time that sticks with you?
BO: I’ll never forget the first time I went outside the cage and got to experience sharks even closer than before. They are so majestic and graceful. Of course, one needs to remember that they are wild and can be unpredictable, but you can get a feel for it. I climbed down the ladder one day, and this beautiful blue shark came out of nowhere and poked me in the butt - terrifying, yup - but just poked me and carried along swimming. It was beautifully enlightening.
SC: Is there anything that surprised you during your time working with sharks?
BO: I love watching people see a shark in its home for the first time. At first, they have their shoulders in their ears, naturally apprehensive. But watching people relax and just be in sheer awe of these magnificent beings gives me so much hope and joy.
SC: What's your favorite shark species, and why?
BO: Blue sharks. I don’t know why, presumably because they’re the ones I’ve spent most of my time around. But once I have the opportunity to experience black tips, hammerheads and tigers, who knows! The thresher has always fascinated me - how they catch their prey, how they move - but I haven’t had a chance yet to come close, although we’ve seen them from the boat.
SC: What's your favorite dive spot and/or bucket list dive destination?
BO: Naturally, my favorite dive spot is off the coast of Montauk because it’s so familiar and where I got to experience many things firsthand. However, I’d love to visit Bimini and spend some time with the blacktips and hammerheads!
SC: Where and how do you source fossilized shark teeth?
BO: The captain of the Sea Turtle, the boat I worked on, goes to the Carolinas and dives 200 feet down to collect pieces. He sources teeth that are collector grade and size, but also smaller pieces for my brand that you can actually wear. As much as I’d love to wear a 5” tooth around my neck, it’s a bit too heavy! Some of the more common species we find fossilized teeth from are Megalodons and prehistoric makos.
SC: Can you explain the difference between fossilized shark teeth and modern teeth, often found at souvenir shops?
BO: There’s at least a 10,000 year difference between the teeth we source and modern teeth. This is the minimum time it takes for a tooth to fossilize. The colors are different as well. A modern tooth, found at a beach or from a fished shark, are all white, whereas fossilized teeth have a range of dark colors - from black to blue with touches of cream, green or yellow.
SC: What do you hope to convey with your pieces?
BO: Awareness and elegance. There’s a lack of knowledge of how endangered sharks are. Unlike elephants and tigers where we can see populations being decimated, we don’t live in the ocean so we don’t see what’s going on there. Sharks are used for their fins, their meat and the squalene derived from their livers, which shows up in fish oil to everyday cosmetics. We need to be educated consumers and work toward conservation for sharks and the planet, all which can be done by doing a touch of research and buying sustainable and ethical products, from face creams to clothing to jewelry. I want our customers to look and feel incredible when they wear our pieces, but not at the cost to our planet and the beings we cohabitate with.
Bella’s passion for the ocean and sharks shines through in her unique, one-of-a-kind designs. She ethically sources fossilized shark teeth rather than using modern white teeth, and her collection is certified Shark Safe. We’re proud to have Fin Montauk’s ‘Little Bites’ earrings, cast from a fossilized shark tooth and reproduced in silver or gold, available in our Shark Cafe shop.
