Per Diem: Samantha Wennerstrom

Per Diem is a series that profiles interesting people's everyday jewelry and the stories behind it. Samantha Wennerstrom is a fashion and lifestyle blogger known for Could I Have That, and co-founder of Wrel, a California inspired curated seasonal pop-up shop.

The Sam Charm, a limited time collaboration between Samantha and Fewer Finer, will launch on March 1st, 2023.

"I grew up in Santa Barbara and lived in LA for a bit and ended up coming back to Santa Barbara, where I now live with my husband and two daughters. It's a pretty special spot, but I never realized how special it was until I left and came back. There's an elevated yet laid back sense of living here that I appreciate more and more the older I get. The element of nature being so accessible is pretty amazing too. We take our girls to the beach almost every week and will forever admire the olive trees sprinkled throughout the town. One of the reasons I wanted to incorporate them in the Sam Charm! Olive trees are such a defining look to Santa Barbara."

"My first job out of college was working for a magazine and it was during that time I started my blog, Could I Have That?, as a creative outlet. It grew organically from there and a few years later I started working with brands more and was able to quit my day job and work full-time on it. Over the years I've met and worked with so many amazing people. Among them was Alicia Lund who has become a close friend and during the pandemic we decided to launch a seasonal curated pop-up together and named it Wrel (our kids initials). It's been a fun side project and incredible learning process in retail but we're excited to keep growing our passion project.”

"Jewelry has always been a huge part of my personal style. My mom and grandmother both have amazing collections that they would let me dig through, try on and even borrow the older I got. We've all been drawn to wearing yellow gold (family of redheads) so some of my most treasured pieces are ones they have passed down to me. I do remember one of the first pieces I wore and loved (and still have!), it was a Zambezi river shark tooth on a gold chain that we got while in South Africa on vacation. I was 4 and remember layering it with another African beaded necklace."

"These days I love wearing pieces that I don't take off for weeks, or pieces that hold meaning and represent my family. I have so many favorites and I just love growing my collection knowing that one day it will be passed down to my girls. My M.O. is typically finding a few things I like wearing together and then I won't change them for a while. I am forever drawn to yellow gold and gravitate towards timeless pieces with a vintage vibe. Jewelry is such a fun way to personalize your style and tell your story through meaningful heirlooms or milestone pieces and it's this aspect I love so much."

"I wanted the Sam charm to have that same timeless look so it can be mixed with other vintage pieces or just have that look on its own. I've been wearing it with a favorite charm that belonged to my mom when she was a teenager, a gold fish that wiggles and lately with a bigger shell charm. Jewelry is one of my favorite ways to celebrate a milestone or birthday so a lot of my pieces in my collection hold so much meaning. Like my gold cuffs I wear everyday with my daughters names on them were pieces I got when they were born and I plan to pass down to them some day. "

"I love charms for the reason that you can immediately transform them with a different chain or combining them with other charms or even putting them on a bracelet versus a necklace. I've been loving the size of the Sam Charm with so many different chains, especially the Mixed Link Charm Clip Necklace! I have so many Fewer Finer pieces on my wishlist but ever since I saw Madison's stacked Kismet Rings I have wanted two with my girl's names on them. I love the look of stacked rings on a pinky!"