Sea Glass: Trash Transformed into Art by Nature

Once or twice a week, I take a morning stroll with my Spirited Guy and our energetic poodle along the Santa Barbara shore at low tide. After appreciating the gorgeous view for an appropriate time, we keep our heads down and eyes to the sand, beachcombing for treasure. Specifically, we are searching for the sparkling shards of green, amber, aqua, clear and cobalt sea glass that wash up with the waves.

Scott picked up this hobby from a former girlfriend and now he's got me hooked. It was a revelation to me that sea glass even existed. I have spent 80% of my life living near the beach, yet believed the most valuable items to be found were intact seashells and sand dollars. I overlooked beach glass all those years, assuming it was, well, garbage. Now I know better.

According to the North American Sea Glass Association, authentic sea glass originates "from discarded bottles and tableware, or glass from shipwrecks and household items lost in natural disasters." So basically, it does start out as trash. But over many, many years, the tides work their magic through incessant tumbling that rounds the sharp edges to a smooth finish, while "frosting" the surface by a natural hydration process that leaches the lime and soda from the glass. (Artificial sea glass is more uniform, tumbled by machine.)

Avid collectors travel to beaches the world over, seeking to find the most prized, rare colors—such as red, orange, yellow, cobalt, turquoise, purple and black - and unusual shapes like marbles, bottle stoppers and antiques. They read the Sea Glass Journal for the latest news. Thousands gather for an annual Sea Glass Festival held at various seashore and lakeside locations around the country.

Most sea glass beachcombers share a deep, abiding love for the ocean and all of its creatures, and consider collecting sea glass to be an environmentally friendly activity. After all, they are picking up what is essentially litter; much sea glass is repurposed into beautiful jewelry, art and craft items; and this may also help reduce the usage of nonrenewable gemstones and other natural materials.

Are you a sea glass collector? Let me know your favorite discovery. Happy Hunting!

~ Teri Breier  www.quintessencecreative.com 
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Comments

[Teri Breier]

Thanks, Sue! I'll be sure to check it out...sounds like perfect summer reading.

[Sue Kidde]

Great post! If you're a sea glass lover, and you haven't read Claire Cook's novel "Life's a Beach" you should! It's about a single woman whose life is falling apart and she reinvents herself as a sea glass artist. It was a Good Morning America pick a couple of summers ago, and I just reread it for the second time. There's an author website, www.ClaireCook.com if you want to read an excerpt.