When it comes to jewelry, people often think about the mines deep in the earth that uncover diamonds and other precious jewels. After years and years of intense pressure, a diamond can form that is extremely valuable to all and even priceless to those who receive them. Jewelry has been a precious commodity for thousands of years.
Recently, there have been those who have turned to the sea to bring a new and unique type of jewelry to the market. Beach glass jewelry is perhaps a type of jewelry you hadn’t expected to consider but as soon as you see the many different types of beach glass designs out there, you might just fall in love with it.
Authentic sea glass charm has as much to do with the brilliantly creative designs as it has to do with the glass itself. Sea glass necklaces, rings, and pendants are only a few of the examples of types of sea glass charms. It is the creativity of the artists that set beach glass jewelry apart from other kinds of jewelry. Many of the craftspeople in the beach glass jewelry market are members of the North American Sea Glass Association, formed in 2007. It currently has more than 90 members.
Sea glass jewelry obviously has its roots on the glass itself. It is the procuring of the glass pieces themselves that spur on the creativity of the artist to fashion one-of-a-kind pieces that are each uniquely beautiful. The glass used in these creations are getting a second life after having been lost in the ocean for years at a time. The salty sea takes each piece of glass on its own journey. As the pieces of glass are tossed about by the sea, crashing them into rocks and the sandy ocean floor, the rough, sharp edges are worn down into a beautifully smooth piece of glass that sparkles and shines.
There are many different types of glass in the sea and it is not terribly uncommon to find some. However, like just about any other thing in life, the rarer the piece of glass the more valuable it will be. Purple sea glass, for example, is very uncommon. Citron, cobalt, and cornflower blue are also rare. These types of glass were used in products that no longer need glass, so that makes them older and sure to not be replaced. Opaque white, for example, comes from milk glass bottles. We now use plastic for our milk containers, so this glass, when found, is sure to be old and continues to be rarer and rarer. Another very rare type of glass is aqua. This type of glass is from Ball Mason jars and 19th Century glass bottles. We obviously make glass in a much different way now, so this glass would be a true find, indeed. As it is now, this glass is only found once for every 200 to 1,000 pieces found.
If you haven’t experienced the beauty of beach glass jewelry, check it out online and, better yet, check out some of the unique pieces in person.
