Colgate Senior Mary Huntley represents her passion for sharks and marine conservation through her small business, Fin Fairy, which primarily sells sustainably made necklaces created with shark teeth she finds on the beach in Florida. She started the business in December 2021, selling only one style of shark tooth necklaces, but has since expanded to include both feminine and masculine jewelry styles and has recently begun selling hats as well. Huntley also donates 20 percent of her profits to a non-profit organization that helps pass marine conservation legislation.

Huntley grew up near the beach in New Jersey and developed a passion for marine life early on.

“I really love sharks; it’s a really obscure interest I have,” Huntley said. “I’ve always had a really strong pull to the ocean, and I really love the ocean and don’t want anything to happen to it.”

Huntley became interested in marine conservation during the COVID-19 pandemic after watching films like “Seaspiracy” on Netflix. Huntley also explained the process of “shark finning,” in which a shark’s fins are cut off and then the shark’s body is thrown back into the ocean to decompose, which also helped spark her interest in marine conservation.

Huntley is passionate about portraying sharks in a positive light and finds it ironic that people are afraid of sharks but are still willing to wear her shark tooth necklaces and consequently support her mission. She has found that, oftentimes, people want to wear the necklaces without knowing the mission behind their creation.

“[People support my business] without them necessarily knowing they are supporting a greater cause,” Huntley explained, “[…] which is just to spread awareness and protect sharks. My goal is getting the point out there that sharks really are in danger and do need a voice.”

The Fin Fairy business also combines Huntley’s interest in marine conservation with her interest in economics.

“It’s just a cool way for me to show my interests and also practice some of my financing skills,” Huntley said. “I’m an economics and environmental studies double major, so it’s a really cool niche between the two of them.”

Huntley handles all of the finances of the business herself, which connects with her future career interests.

“I do a lot of budgeting for the business, coming up with financial statements that are efficient for donating but also making sure that I’m making the money back that I put into it,” Huntley explained.

She runs the business all on her own, including finding the shark teeth, sourcing sustainable materials, crafting products and completing finances.

“I like doing it myself,” Huntley said. “I think it’s really important to me, and I know that I’m all in on it. I really care about sharks and the mission behind the business.”

Along with her interest in shark conservation, Huntley was inspired to begin Fin Fairy simply because she always wanted a shark tooth necklace.

“I think that shark teeth are really cool and they represent power and strength,” Huntley said. “I’ve always wanted a shark tooth necklace and then when I started finding shark teeth, once I had made one for myself, I realized that I could actually make them in bulk and sell them.”

Huntley explained how she came up with the name Fin Fairy and its connection to common childhood myths.

“It’s based on like the tooth fairy, like shark teeth: the idea of the tooth fairy and the story behind it, like bringing a present to you,” Huntley explained.

While Huntley doesn’t see herself pursuing Fin Fairy full-time after graduation, she still wants to maintain the business and will always support marine conservation efforts.

“I’m hoping that alongside my career, I’ll always have Fin Fairy, even if I’m not necessarily selling, say, 20 necklaces a month,” Huntley said. “I’ll be keeping up with posts, legislation and laws being passed for the benefit of sharks and overall marine conservation and using my platform to really spread awareness and open up people’s eyes.”

Huntley sells solely through Instagram DMs on her business account, @shopfinfairy.