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How to Find Sea Glass
This page is popular, so I am guessing that many of you are potential collectors. Finding sea glass can be tricky and it does require perseverance and patience, but it is addictive. When you find some, you feel so good! I hope the suggestions below help you in your search.
Seaglass jewelry is a great souvenir to remember a special location or trip. For example, I made a few special pendants with sea glass found in Antarctica, and they carry special memories of a fabulous trip. A friend found sea glass in Greece, where her daughter became engaged, and had a pendant custom made with it for her daughter. When I travel, I am always on the lookout for a beach or port area, where there might be gem quality sea glass. In Norway, north of the Arctic Circle this summer I found a stunning piece of green sea glass lying on the melting ice! According to our guides, the currents may bring debris from Russia or former whalers may have tossed bottles in the 1800's.
You don't have to travel far to find sea glass, though! When I was in Ohio, I found beach glass on the shores of Lake Erie, near Cleveland. (They call it beach glass there, rather than sea glass.) Anyway, the colors are great --aqua, cobalt blue, greens, whites and browns! The beach glass is similar to the ocean tossed sea glass, because Lake Erie's chemical makeup is similar to the ocean (so I am told!).
Beach Combing Tips
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Be patient -- sometimes, you only find one or two pieces on a beach, and then elsewhere you find lots of it.
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Usually, I have learned that sea glass is around stones and other beach debris.
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Sometimes it actually is in the water, and you have to grab at it before the waves take it back! This happened to me on St. Thomas recently.
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Then there are the beaches where the glass is literally the beach --like in Hawaii or Ft. Bragg, CA (where I learned that collecting sea glass is not allowed because it is a park).
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When you first start collecting, look for the greens -- they are easier to spot on the beach than the whites and browns. Of course, if you see a blue or red, go for it!
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Don't pass up interesting tiles, marbles, or other sea tossed items.
Finding sea glass is a challenge and fun! As I frequently travel, I have found sea glass on beaches all over the world. However, on many sandy, beautiful shores I have just had a nice walk (looking down all the time!). Usually, the pieces of glass are near the water line, where the sand is wet. Some people even scoop up the sand in the water, but I haven't found glass that way. Don't keep any sharp or shiny pieces --they haven't been tumbled and tossed enough for jewelry! The August 2008 issue of the National Geographic Magazine has a short article about sea glass, and particularly about how rare it is becoming due to the use of plastics and strict environmental guidelines about dumping.
Places and Colors
The most glass I have found comes from Hawaii and Puerto Rico and Greece. But, I have found sea glass in Spain, Russia, Aruba, Cape Cod, Lake Erie, California, Argentina, and the Arctic and Antarctica. So far, I have found only a couple of pieces in Florida. Some collectors feel that the blues, reds, aquamarines, teal, and peridot colors are rarer than the browns, amber, whites, and greens. Personally, I feel that the individual shape and texture of the piece and where it is from can be more significant than the color alone. No matter what, you are lucky to find a special piece of sea glass!. Good luck to you, and if you would like a custom piece of jewelry with your find, please contact me at contact@luckyseaglass.com I will work with you to create something truly special.
Authentic vs. Machine Tumbled
There is quite a lot of discussion about "fake" vs. authentic or genuine sea glass among collectors and jewelry designers. Usually, the fake sea glass has been created by a tumbling machine, using old bottles, etc., and you can find it in bulk at craft stores. This has not been beach combed, and is quite different in appearance and feel from the authentic sea glass (which is valuable and rare!). A Parade magazine article (August 2010) reported that some pieces of sea glass sell for up to $300.
If sea glass has been altered after having been beachcombed, it is still beach glass, but perhaps not as authentic. All the sea glass that I use in the jewelry is authentic, genuine beach combed glass! A few items are hand drilled (and this is obvious), but otherwise the glass is as it was tumbled by the sea.
Good luck in your sea glass hunting, and have fun!
--Jean
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