After this long, cold winter are you ready for a leisurely barefoot stroll down a warm, sandy beach?
I hope so, because that’s the best way to find authentic pieces of sea glass to use in jewelry making.
Sea glass – also called beach glass – is an interesting “recycling project” that’s run by Nature.
Oceans and other large bodies of water take glass containers that began as litter and slowly break them down – polishing, tumbling, and sandblasting them until they’re totally transformed.
This process takes years, but eventually the old glass litter is reborn in the form of colorful, gem-like treasures waiting to be found by someone strolling on a sandy or rocky beach.
On vacation a few years ago we were lucky enough to find more than a dozen really nice pieces of sea glass on the rocky beach of Lake Erie.
Most of the pieces were either a nearly-opaque white or a peridot-lime green. Several of these were a nice size for wire-wrapping.
There were also a few very small shards of cobalt-blue sea glass, too small for wire-wrapping or drilling, but beautiful to look at and to keep as souvenirs of a lovely day.
Jean Forman of Lucky Sea Glass has an interesting article on sea glass jewelry – including where sea glass can be found, how it’s rated for quality, making jewelry with it, fake vs. authentic sea glass, and lovely photos of the jewelry Jean has made from sea glass.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I was surprised to discover that different colors of sea glass are actually more valuable than others! I guess it would figure that clear or frosty white sea glass is the least expensive. Beautiful cobalt blue is some of the most valuable, as well as purple and bright greens. Some of the rarest are pieces with a pattern, such as pieces from dinnerware. Teri Twitter: Teri_B
http://www.sandtcreations.com/wordpress
Hey, love the blog. Definitely going on my favorites. We’re in the liquidation end of the business. Complete opposite of what you do. Thanks for the great content.
Warmest,
N
Thats a novel thing, green environment friendly jewelry
Your blog looks good. Would be a regular now.
Like your blog, will be a regular visitor! Nice article, very inspiring!
Hey Rena,
I’ve been a follower of your website for a few years now and just discovered this blog. I want to thank you for your info on how you started your business (found you on the links page at a wire wrapping group forum on Yahoo) because our website has sprung from the information you provided. For that, I will be forever grateful.
Yep, sea glass is very addictive as Jean well knows (eh, Jean?). I started collecting sea glass a long time ago (like a lot of us) and didn’t know much about it back then but liked the colors. I’ve learned a lot about sea glass over the years.
It has become a growing hobby for folks, some like to just walk and find it and display it on the windowsill, some like to do crafts with their pieces, and some like to make one-of-a-kind wire wrapped jewelry with it (like Jean as well as myself do). Others bezel the sea glass to make jewelry with it. People have gotten so creative with it.
For me, memories of walking the beach are so closely tied in with each and every piece of sea glass and that is the lure of sea glass. Just looking at it or touching it can take me back. And, too, it’s amazing how man’s trash can be transformed into something so gorgeous.
Will mark your blog so I can keep us with you.
Again, thanks.
Linda
Hi I have heard so much about sea glass so great but have never seen any. I make jewelry also mostly out of gem stones. you can see of it on my blog . mycountrytreasures.blogspot.com. I am interested in using othe things to.
I actually collect this sea glass when ever I am at the coast, I have a whole jar full of them I don’t use them but after reading this maybe I should thing of making some thing out of them. Thanks for the great idea.