Today we’d like to introduce you to Tori Musumeci.
Hi Tori, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
99th Street Beach Club comes from some of my favorite memories growing up: spending my summers on 99th Street at the beach in New Jersey.
When I was 14, I got my first job at Just Bead It, a make-your-own jewelry store. That was where I learned the basics of jewelry making, beadwork, and even some early business lessons. Over the course of ten summers, I built skills, friendships, and a lasting connection to the creativity and community that surrounded beach-town life.
After graduating college, beading stayed with me as a hobby and something I genuinely enjoyed during my downtime. I eventually started selling beaded earrings, and over time I wanted to expand beyond beadwork by incorporating metal elements and creating rings and pendants.
In 2024, I decided to start learning silversmithing. I began by watching YouTube videos, taking a few online classes, and slowly teaching myself the craft. That opened up a new creative direction for me and helped shape what 99th Street Beach Club is becoming.
My pieces are meant to bring back the nostalgia of spending summers by the beach — the friendships, the sun, the salt air, and the feeling of a place that stays with you long after summer ends.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a perfectly smooth road. A lot of 99th Street Beach Club has been built through trial and error.
When I first started, I was mostly working with beadwork, which felt familiar because it was where my jewelry-making experience began. But as I wanted to grow into metalwork, rings, and pendants, I had to step into a completely new skill set. Learning silversmithing was exciting, but also intimidating. I started with YouTube videos and online classes, so there was a lot of figuring things out on my own, making mistakes, and learning patience along the way.
One of the biggest challenges has been trusting the process. Handmade jewelry takes time, and every piece teaches you something different. There are moments where a design does not come together the way I imagined, or a technique takes longer to learn than expected. But those struggles have also helped shape the brand and made the pieces feel more personal.
The road has had plenty of learning curves, but that is also what makes it meaningful. 99th Street Beach Club is still growing, and every challenge has pushed me to become more confident, more creative, and more connected to the story behind the jewelry.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At 99th Street Beach Club, I create handmade jewelry inspired by the nostalgia of summers spent by the beach. My work started with beadwork, which is still a big part of my creative foundation, but it has grown into silversmithing, rings, pendants, and pieces that incorporate both metal and beaded elements.
I specialize in jewelry that feels personal, relaxed, and connected to memory. A lot of my inspiration comes from the colors, textures, and feeling of the coast — shells, sun-washed tones, ocean air, and the kind of effortless style that reminds you of long summer days at the beach.
I am most proud of how naturally the brand connects back to my own story. 99th Street Beach Club is not just a name; it comes from a real place and a real part of my life. Learning jewelry-making as a teenager, spending ten summers surrounded by creativity and community, and then coming back to it later in life has made the work feel very full-circle.
What sets my pieces apart is that they are handmade with a mix of nostalgia, craft, and personal history. I want each piece to feel like something you would find on a summer trip, keep for years, and associate with a memory. My goal is to make jewelry that feels easy to wear, meaningful, and tied to that timeless feeling of being by the beach.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I have learned along the way is to trust the process and give myself permission to grow slowly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://99thstreetbeachclub.etsy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/99th.street.beach.club/
