Sea Glass & Shards
"Man Made Trash Touched
By Mother Nature"   

Sample of some of Michele's Wire Wrapped Sea Glass		What Is Sea Glass Old Glass Kissed By The Sea        by Michele J. Buckler Long ago before we became “Green” conscious, we use to throw large portions of trash into bodies of water.  Few ever gave a second thought to what happened to the trash once it got there.  It would roll around in the sea for many years, some would break down and disappear, and others would wash back up on our shores. Beachcombers use to walk the beaches and pick up glass seeing it as liter from long ago, others collected it, intrigued by its colors and shapes. It was not until Richard LaMotte wrote “Pure Sea Glass” in 2004, which told us of the value, where the glass could have come from, about the colors and the rarity of those colors. In 2009 he came out with a supplement to his book called “Pure Sea Glass Identification Cards”. Genuine sea glass (also known as beach glass, mermaid's tears, and many other names) is formed when any piece of glass (mostly bottles, tableware, windows, insulators, marbles, etc.) made their way into large bodies of water. The waves breaking them down, turning glass into shards, usually in triangular shape. The currents would move the glass over sandy surfaces smoothing the edges. Over several decades, the acidity of the water would give it a frosting turning glass into sea glass. Many people are wondering why it is getting harder to find sea glass; there are different theories about this. More things are made out of plastic today instead of glass. Some say it’s because most beaches have a carry in carry out policy. Can you remember when there were trashcans on the beaches?  We are doing more recycling so we are not polluting as much as we once did.  The process of beach restoration is pumping the sand from way out covering up the glass, but most people are saying it is because more people are collecting it.     Beachcombers have found that they enjoy picking up sea glass, and displaying them in containers in their homes similar to those who enjoy gathering shells, stones and sea pottery. Authors have written about sea glass, Artisans have found ways to incorporate sea glass in their jewelry, photographs and paintings.  Others have found ways to use the glass into everyday items such as sun catchers and candles. Some enjoy trying to identify its original origins. “When I find a piece of sea glass it is like finding a missing piece of the puzzle.”     A few people have tried, unsuccessfully, to copy “Mother Nature’s” work by tumbling or etching the glass, called fake or faux sea glass. Fake sea glass has a certain appeal to some and is less expensive to buy, but by a true collector it cannot match the beauty or value that natural sea glass has. It is one of the few man-made things that get more desirable after it has been discarded and weathered by the elements.   Most beaches have sea glass some are better than others. You can do some research and find out if there were any shipwrecks near by, or what the beach or body of water was used for? Once you have found a beach that you want to collect glass from, it is best to look for glass during a full or new moon in the Fall and early Spring at low tide.  But the most important thing about “sea glassing” is don’t tell others where you find your treasures. Resources: North American Sea Glass Association (NASGA)  http://www.northamericanseaglassassociation.org Richard LaMotte, Pure Sea Glass,  http://www.pureseaglass.com/ Your local Antique Bottle Club Saving Pottery Shards I asked an Archeologist one day if there was a way to save the shards that I find on the beach from crumbling over time.  She told me…  Pottery Shards are very pores, and when it has been sitting in salt water for many years, the salt gets inside of the pottery, and since salt is a drying agent it could over time make the pottery crumble.  She suggested that I soak the pottery shards in half distilled vinegar and half distilled water in a glass jar with a lid for several days.  She explained that the vinegar was a drawling agent and it will drawl the salt out of the pottery.   When  you take the pottery out of the jar it will have a slight vinegar smell to it but the smell goes away in a few days. Delmarva Antique Bottle & Sea Glass Club & Show The Delmarva Antique Bottle Club was founded in 1992 and is a nonprofit organization which promotes, fosters and encourages all activity involving the hobby of antique bottle collecting. You may be wondering how does sea glass fit with a old bottles? Sea Glass is any bottle or glass that has found its way into a large body of water, the waves break the glass and the current tumbles it along smoothing the edges. Recently there has been a desire to establish a Sea Glass club in Delmarva and after much consideration it made sense to have the Sea Glass Club join the Bottle Club. Currently, the Bottle  and Sea Glass Club has around 65 members and meets regularly on the 3rd Friday of each month at 6:30 P.M. except for July, August, and September at the Beacon Middle School, located on Rt. 24. Visitors are welcome and membership is open to all who are interested in the hobby of antique bottles and sea glass. Besides monthly meetings they have many different speakers, and in September, first Sunday after Labor Day, they hold an Antique Bottle and Sea Glass show and sale. This year it will be held at the Beacon Middle School, in Lewes, on September 12th, 2010 from 9AM to 3PM. For more information about joining the Antique Bottle and Sea Glass club or participating in the show,  please contact Michele Buckler at 302-645-0576 or michele@gemwrap.com   http://www.antiquebottles.com/delmarva/
			A few mistake Delaware Bay (AKA Cape May) Diamonds as Sea Glass.
			Glass from the shipwreck The Severn near the Roosevelt Inlet, DE in 1774
			Just For You is truly your "One Stop Sea Glass Shop!" Wire Wrapped Jewelry Sea Glass Note Cards Matted 8X10 and 11X14 Prints Mother Nature's Bailed Sea Glass Pendants Wild Women " I Love Sea Glass"  Pins Books from a wide variety of Sea Glass Authors Sea Glass Collectors Patch Sea Glass Candles, Sun Catchers and Ordaments Sea Glass Auto Decals Magnets, Key Chains, Mirrors and Buttons with Artisan's Photographs Nail Files Wooden Signs
North American Sea Glass Assoc. Web-Site Pure Sea Glas Book Sea Glass Journal  Web-Site North American Sea Glass Association Facebook Social Network Sea Glass Association Network Sea Glass Artist &  Collectors network Sea Glass Lovers S.G.L. Network