Sea Glass & Seashell Jewelry by Scarborough Seashells

Sea Glass and Seashell Jewelry from Scarborough Seashells!

I decided to start up a new lens to seperate my jewelry designs from the shells and sealife I sell. Here you can find the newest pieces I have created, learn a bit about the different techniques I use in my designs and also about the items I use to create them!

Welcome to my lens!

What is Sea Glass exactly?

and is it different than Beach Glass?

Sea glass is small bits and pieces of broken glass that have been tumbled, frosted and worn smooth by the constant pounding of the sand and surf of the ocean.

Really beach glass and sea glass are the same, I think the difference in terms probably originated with those who live near ocean and those who do not. Many of the most beautiful and unique pieces come from the Great Lakes region- famous in their own right for beaches and beautiful waterfonts. Anywhere there are large bodies of water and wind to create waves, there can be sea (beach) glass.

My hope for this lens is to help people learn about some great ways to find sea glass, the different types of sea glass and the rarity of colors that exist.

"They're here, they're here! The new 2008 Spring Sea Glass Collection has arrived!"

The Spring Sea Glass Collection Has Landed!

Dragonflies and Butteflies - What could be more springlike?!

Hand wrapped in solid copper and silvertone wire, these amazing little creatures are actually suncatchers! They are 3-4 inches wide, hang from a silver cord and come with a mini suction cup with hook to hang from your window. What a perfect way to welcome spring!

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Note to Self!

Don't forget to head over to Scarborough Seashells Online to shop the new line of sea glass suncatchers and check out all their fabulous sea glass designs!

Ornaments for the holiday season

The Sea Glass Angels Collection

Making their sophmore appearance in our store, these stunning angels are back and better than ever! This year's collection dons golden halos and an exciting new color palette!

We will only be selling a limited number of each design, so don't hesitate, order now to get yours in time for the holiday season!

Find them now at www.scarboroughseashells.com

*** QUICK UPDATE*** The angels are still available, but there are very limited quantities of red, white and cobalt left. Order soon while they last!

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My favorite piece of sea glass to date!

Are you a sea glass collector? Got a piece to brag about?

If you've got the mother of all sea glass pieces and you'd like to share it with us, contact me and I'll feature your treasured find in this module! Please send me a story of how you came to own the piece and a photo I can add for everyone to ooh and ahh over!

Found this piece on a private beach in Jamestown, RI. We were supposed to go out sailing with my oldest son and there wasn't a breath of wind to be had. So I decided rather than call it a wasted trip I'd comb the rocky shore for sea glass before heading home. Well, I hit the jackpot! My husband, husband's friend, son and myself all had our t-shirts filled like baskets with the most amazing pieces of glass- purples, blues, deep greens- one lavender piece even had a date pressed into the glass of 1894! Enjoy!

The Making of a Sea Glass Pendant

A glimpse into my workspace- successful & failed attempts at creating a new piece

This is a mini photo documentary of sorts. The photos are in progressive order from start to finish. Each photo has a description of what is going on during that portion of the design process. If you click on a photo , the slide show will stop and you will get a still shot and description of what is happening in that particular segment. Or, you can sit back and watch the slideshow as the finished piece evolves from very raw beginnings.

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My Newest Jewelry Pieces

My inspiration is the sea; my medium ranges from sea glass to shells, turquoise and coral, sterling and gold and even polymer clay!

Available now at www.scarboroughseashells.com

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Sea Glass Scale of Rarity

Taken from Pure Sea Glass by Richard LaMotte

Extremely Rare: Orange, Red, Turquoise, Yellow, Black, Teal, Gray

Rare: Pink, Aqua, Cornflower Blue, Cobalt Blue, Opaque White, Citron, Purple/Amethyst

Uncommon: Soft Green, Soft Blue, Forest Green, Lime Green, Golden Amber, Amber, Jade

Common:Kelly Green, Brown, White (clear)

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I want to collect Sea Glass too! How do I start?

Tips and pointers for the new enthusiast!

It might seem very logical that sea glass is washed up on the shore by waves, but that is actually more often than not NOT the case. While waves might bring up some smaller, lightweight pieces, it is actually often the tide receding and taking with it layers of sand and silt that will be more likely to unearth larger, sometimes older pieces of sea glass.

Weather Conditions: Sea glass, quite often, has been buried under layers of sand for years, even decades or centuries. In my experience, the best times to find sea glass is after a heavy storm when several layers of sand have been pulled back into the ocean.

Time of Day: In the summer I like to go in the early morning if it is a heavily populated beach because #1 more people=less sea glass for me and #2 town, private and state beaches are often "maintained" which includes large tractors coming in and raking the sand to clear up debris, fill in holes and otherwise clean the usable surface of the beach for vacationers- which while good for asthetics is not so good for the sea glass collector.

Autumn through Spring: I find the majority of the sea glass that sustains my jewelry business during off season months. When there are less people, weather and seas are rougher and the sand is less disturbed by machines. A walk on the beach can do the mind and body wonders any time of the year! If the sun is shining and the winds are bearable, by all means- go treasure hunting! (I've even been known to wrap a scarf around my entire head leaving only my eyes exposed and trek through the sand on a blustery 10 degree January afternoon!) Time of day is not so much a factor during these months because the beach is mostly deserted save for a few dog walkers or die hards like myself.

I want to collect Sea Glass too! How do I start?

PART TWO

Prime Locations:
1) Although sea glass is not always washed up with the tide, I have found several decent pieces mixed among the seaweed and rocks at the hightide line. Another good indicator that sea glass is present is if you see sea life such as starfish and sand dollars entwined with the debris. That is generally a sign that the sea was rough and things that normally dwell on the ocean floor have been churned up. So keep your eyes peeled!

2)Does the beach you're going to have jetties running out into the water? I've gotten some great pieces in little tide pools around these rocks when the tide goes out- sometimes wedged in between the rocks or hiding away amongst the mussels and barnacles that adhere themselves to the rocks.

Human Nature & The Hunt: Not to sound sexist, but did you know that men and women spot sea glass differently? While women tend to see softer pastel colors with ease, the men have an eye for vibrant greens and bold blues. This by no means says that if you're determined and diligent that you can't find a larger rainbow of colors to add to your collection, just an interesting factoid I've learned along the way.

There is something different about the way a sea glass collector combs the beach compared to someone who is casually looking for seashells or other sea life. They are constantly walking with their heads down, stopping every few inches, bending, picking up, tossing back, bending again to get a closer look and then walking another foot or two only to stop and repeat the process. Walking a half mile stretch of beach can sometimes take me two or three hours if the conditions are right.

Walking behind another sea glass collector does not necessarily mean that you will not come up with anything good that day. I've been directly behind another hunter and gathered pockets full of pieces that they either discarded or didn't notice. Even though it is the most common, I find the trickiest pieces to distinguish are the white (clear) frosted ones because on RI beaches we have lots of polished white quartz which can be mistaken for sea glass until you get it in your hand to examine it. So I'm sure that others have their weakness with spotting sea glass and that can only work to your benefit!

Good luck and happy beachcombing!

Jewelry Pieces on Etsy

Sea Glass, Seashell, Semi Precious Stones, Wire Working and Polymer Clay!

Etsy is my "super creative" venue. This is the place where you'll find all the different pieces I make with all the different materials I use. You can tell when I go through phases of working with different things by the items that I'm currently selling there. :)

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Earrings Every Day Blog

A combined effort by several Indie Jewelry Artisans!

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Some of my current eBay listings!

Even though I've started a new website, eBay is still my "baby" so here's some of what I've got listed in my eBay store!

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Making Wire Jewelry: 60 Easy Projects in Silver, Copper & Brass by Helen Clegg

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Let me know what you think of my lens!

I'm working hard to bring creative and informative information about recycled wearable art!

Lensmaster

fayr1 wrote...

Love the sea glass jewellery, have a collection of seaglass myself but not turned it into anything yet. After looking at your beautiful designs I am now feeling inspired. Thank you

Posted September 08, 2008