Our Story
Our Story
Handcrafted in Santa Barbara — Jewelry with Heart, Soul, and Story
Kai Dunbar — Lead Artist & Creative Director
VISIONVINE JEWELRY was born in Santa Barbara from one of the most unexpected chapters of my life. My path was anything but a straight line — I navigated childhood challenges, serious health struggles including open-heart surgery at 29, and the hard work of rebuilding after addiction. My anchor through it all came in the form of Oinks Barkley, my deaf and blind albino puppy, whose need for care gave me renewed purpose, joy, and the spark to create with intention every single day.
From that place of resilience and renewal, I began handcrafting jewelry using genuine gems and stones, wood, lava rock, and bone — each piece original and one-of-a-kind, made to feel deeply personal. In a world of mass-produced items, I stand for something real: honest craftsmanship, natural materials, and the belief that beauty can emerge from any chapter of life.
Oinks Barkley and I invite you to explore the collection — or reach out for a custom piece. I'd love to help you find something that connects with your vision and lights up your path.
Betty Dunbar — Co-Founder & Creative Soul
My love for jewelry began long before I knew it would shape my life. As a young girl, a bead looming set arrived under the Christmas tree and lit something in me that never quite went out. I was so captivated that I'd spend my hard-earned allowance walking three miles every Sunday to our local bead shop — returning home with a paper bag filled with strands of Puka and Heishi beads, stone fetish birds, bears and buffalo made from turquoise, coral, and abalone, then assembled into jewelry which I eventually sold from the curb in front of my parents' home.
Life, as it does, pulled me in other directions. High school brought jobs, independence, and the busyness of growing up. Over the decades, I built a career in the world of fine wine — as a French wine importer, co-owner of a wine bar and shop, and a business consultant. It was a rich and rewarding chapter, and one I'm proud of.
But it was the recession of 2008 that brought me back to my hands. Out of work and searching for a way forward, I stayed up through the nights teaching myself wire wrapping, building a collection piece by piece. When I had threescore or more pieces, I'd host trunk shows — enough to cover food and rent, and enough to remind me of who I'd always been.
The years that followed left little room for creating, but I never stopped entirely — a handmade gift here, a birthday piece there. Now, as I look toward a more artful and intentional way of living, I find myself exactly where I was meant to be: partnering with my son Kai, who inherited that same creative gene, to bring Visionvine Jewelry to life.
