Flowers and Cheetahs in California

It was great in California -- but cooler there than back East where it has been so warm.  I had a chance to search for sea glass in San Diego area -- but didn't find too many good pieces.  We visited the Flower Fields which were in bloom and I'll add some pictures.  Also, we visited the Living Desert near Palm Springs -- and saw zebra, giraffe, and cheetahs!

Rarity of Sea Glass

Sea glass is becoming harder and harder to find ---I mean well tumbled, gem quality sea glass.  As I have said, I have searched many beaches all over the world, and often haven't found much at all.  But, I must say, that walking along a beach, looking at the waves, the sand, even the rain or sun, is relaxing and fun.  Try it!  Sea glass is so rare because plastics, aluminum cans, and recycling centers all contribute to the scarcity of glass.  I feel that the seaglass I find now is probably old and has been around for many years.

If you have discovered a great beach for seaglassin',  please consider sharing it here.  Thanks!

The Arctic

The Arctic!  In this time of global warming and such a warm winter in the East,  I have to remember our great trip to the Arctic. The polar bears, the ice, the beautiful scenery, walruses.   Also, I did find a few pieces of sea glass there, and have made them into jewelry you can see on my website.  http://www.luckyseaglass.com/

Here's some pictures of that frozen continent

What recovery?

In the past month, one of the stores carrying Lucky Sea Glass Jewelry has closed, another is on the brink, and a voucher service is no longer!  Small businesses need your business! Unless you want Chinese mass produced items, that is. 

Questions, comments?

Do you have questions about sea glass, travels, jewelry?  What is your favorite sea glass color? Where do you collect sea glass?? 

Sea Glass Collectors and Russian Earrings

Russian seaglass earrings wrapped with 14K gold filled wire (not altered -- this is how I found the glass)

This week I had a nice surprise, a seaglass collector sent me some of her finds and a pendant she had made.  It was so sweet, I sent her some Hawaiian seaglass and a pendant, too.  I hope she likes it.  There are so many sea glass artists and collectors out there!   A wonderful organization for you to check out is at the bottom of my Lucky Sea Glass page on my website.  It is Sea Glass Artists and Collectors.  They have a facebook page too.  There is no cost to join, and you can get so much information and maybe even make some online friends.

Seaglass Pins

I've been busy creating pins with the sea glass --- butterflies, spiders, flowers, and even a dachsund yesterday! It is a lot of fun to wear them on a sweater or jacket.  People really do notice them.  I'll post a couple of pictures here but check out the website, too.  http://www.luckyseaglass.com/    

 

Fake or Real Seaglass -- Part II

 I told you yesterday that there is fake, manmade, "artistic", simulated seaglass out there often being sold as authentic, ocean tossed, tumbled seaglass.  Well, today is part II.  Sometimes, people actually take their broken bits of glass which have been machine tumbled, and then put them in mesh bags and leave them near a secret shoreline so that, really, the ocean does tumble them a bit.  Authentic seaglass, however, is a gift of Mother Nature, tossed over years (sometimes a hundred!) so that it gains a frosty, smooth patina unlike the machine tumbled glass you see. 

It is hard, sometimes, to see the difference, I admit, but once you know the shapes of authentic sea glass  (often triangular, heart shaped pieces, but not always), the patina,  frostiness, rareness of some colors, you are well on your way to discriminating between fake and real when you buy sea glass jewelry.
Tomorrow I will give you some books and articles about seaglass to increase your knowledge, if you like!

Fake or real? Seaglass ethics

One of the most controversial issues in the seaglass collectors and artists community is that of all the fake,
"created",  "artistic", "manmade" , counterfeit seaglass that is out there being sold as genuine, tumbled by the sea, natural.  The buyer of seaglass jewelry can find a wide range a prices and colors -- but often the rarest colors like orange and red are not authentic seaglass.  In four years of scouring the world's beached, I have found only a very few pieces of red and no orange!  Cobalt blue is also considered to be a rare find. 

If you just want a seaglass "look", but don't care if it is real, beachcombed seaglass, then that is up to you.  But, know what you are buying!  All of Lucky Sea Glass jewelry is made with personally beachcombed sea glass from around the world!  http://www.luckyseaglass.com/     Good luck to you!

Romania sea glass

On a trip to the Black Sea  ---it was a cruise on the Danube from Bucharest to Budapest -- and we had a side trip to the Black Sea.  I had a chance to walk the shore a little, and found some pieces of seaglass there.   I am just now getting around to creating some designs with the few pieces I found.  Actually, someone had emailed me inquiring about Romanian sea glass and that's what got me going!  I designed this piece, with a heart theme, around the green seaglass.  I think the copper contrasts well.  What do you think?