Philadelphia and Van Gogh

If it's not too late, try to see the Van Gogh exhibit at the Philadelphia museum of Art.  I saw it a week ago, and it was terrific.  There were many paintings I had never seen before, even though we had been to the Van Gogh museum and Arles, France, and other exhibits.  I have to admit, though, that I really was most impressed with the Japanese prints that Vincent and his brother Theo collected!  I guess Japan will have to be added to the "bucket" list.  Sorry, I didn't take pictures of the show.

Still time to vote -- and where to see the design

Thanks for voting!  You can see the dachsund design on my website's first page.  Just go to
http://www.luckyseaglass.com to see him    I modified the design that I posted on this blog a while ago.

The link to use for voting is on my previous post.

Please vote for my design! Still time!

http://www.artbeads.com/jewelry-design-star.html

Just checked  (Monday April 30), the dachsund is on page two! 

If you click on the link above, it will take you to a contest I entered.  Please vote for the Seaglass
Dachsund pin that I created -- it is on the third page of entries I think -- you can't miss it. 
Thanks for voting in this design challenge.  Please note that voting doesn't start until tomorrow, April 26, and I think you can vote until May 1.  

Sea Glass Colors

I just realized that I haven't really written about sea glass colors, and they are so important!  (If you ever get a chance to read Pure Sea Glass by Richard LaMotte, check it out.)  He describes in detail where the various colors come from.  Most of us beachcombers know that orange, red, yellow are very rare colors, but did you know that black, teal, turquoise, and gray are also very rare?

Both cornflower blue and cobalt blue are considered rare, as well as aqua.  I know I have found only a few pieces of blue, in Ohio (Lake Erie) and in Greece. 

Various shades of green are found every once in a while, and the Kelly green, brown and clear white are fairly common.  Amber shades are less common.

Of course, at this point, any sea glass find is lucky! With all the use of plastics, recycling, etc., in addition to all of us beachcombing, it is not always easy to find gem quality sea glass.

The combination of a beautiful color from a special place in the world set into unique jewelry is what Lucky Sea Glass is all about!

A Woman of Valor...

There is a beautiful quote from the Bible --- it goes " A woman of valor is worth more than rubies...She is robed in strength and dignity and graciously faces anything that may come her way."

Heart shaped white seaglass (Florida) with five real rubies and a Swarovski crystal
and a Freshwater pearl, 14K gold filled wire and plated necklace

Isn't that the perfect sentiment for Mother's Day, which is soon upon us.  I have been creating a woman of valor line with seaglass and rubies.  Of course, I have my own earrings and pendant, that I love to wear, but I will post a new pendant (that is for sale) for you to see.  I use real rubies that come from India!  There are other designs from this line in several of the gift shops or galleries that carry Lucky Sea Glass, and you can contact them directly.  Info is on my website about the shops.

Easter Island Memories

It was a year ago, but our trip to Easter Island was amazing.  It is a long flight from Santiago, Chile, and is probably the most remote island in the world.  If you ever read Kon Tiki or Aku-Aku by Thor Heyerdahl, you would be fascinated by these huge stone figures.  And, by the way, these figures face inland, their backs to the ocean.  So, while they weren't looking, I searched for some sea glass.

Moai of Easter Island 

Sunset on Easter Island

Silver or gold?

Are you a silver or a gold person?  My customers seems to have definite preferences.  Here is a little information about silver and gold.  When plated, there is a thin layer of silver or gold over a metal like copper.  This layer can wear away, and then the base metal under it will become visible. In contrast, gold filled or silver filled items mean that the silver or gold is chemically bonded to the base metal.  The gold finish lasts a very long time and does not lose its shine.  I prefer to use gold filled wire in my designs.  For my silver designs, I usually use sterling silver, rather than silver plated or silver filled wire.

Sterling silver does tarnish, but it can be easily restored with a polishing cloth or a liquid jewelry cleaner.  That's what I use. 

Hope this helps clarify things a little.  Of course, 14K or 18K gold doesn't tarnish or wear away, but is a great deal more expensive than 14K gold filled wire. 

How to Find Sea Glass

I'm not sure I wrote about How to Find Sea Glass yet, so here goes.   It is really pretty simple, but yet challenging to do, unless you go to one of the famous "glass beaches",  on Kauai in Hawaii or in California, at Fort Bragg.  At those "beaches", which really used to be dumps for glass, you will have no trouble finding lots of sea glass.  Unfortunately, many people have already been there before you!

But, there are plenty of other beaches in the world where you have a chance.  Look at the list I made up on this blog and also on my website for some of them.


How to find sea glass?   Often well tumbled glass is close to the shoreline, even in the water.  As the waves recede, you can reach in and grab a piece, if you see one.  I find that sea glass gets caught among rocks, jetties, other debris -- so that often is a good place to look while you are walking the beach.  Also, where there may be a stream or river coming into the ocean, sea glass may accumulate.  Most of the time, I simply walk along the shoreline, looking down!  Greens are probably  the easiest to find, since they do stand out, but not every beach has greens.  You will be fooled by plastic, shells, and wood, too. 


Last Fall, in Hawaii, some big rocks were swept onto the beach, and all around them you could find sea glass, if you were patient and persistent.  One man was scooping up armfuls of  the sand, looking for the sea glass.  Someone said that the tsunami in Japan brought debris to Hawaii, and she is looking for some treasure chest of gold!  I was just happy to find some nice, gem quality sea glass.


So you see, there is no real magic to looking for sea glass.  It is just a matter of being alert, patient,
and persistent.  Good luck to you!  Please let me know how you do, too.

Sea Glass from Argentina

I loved our trip to Argentina -- actually two trips.  Once we went to Antarctica, and spent time in Buenos Aires, Ushaia, and Tierra del Fuego before the cruise.  The second time was when we went to Iguassu Falls in both Argentina and Brazil, Easter Island, Torres del Paine. 

Anyway, I'm thinking of these trips, as I just created a pendant using sea glass I found at Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, at the tip of South America.  It is pale green, with gold wire crochet.

Offer for your comments and my latest project

Thank you all for visiting this blog -- the numbers are approaching 1500 in just a short time.  I just want to remind you that if you leave a comment and then want to purchase an item from the Lucky Sea Glass website, you will receive a 5% discount off the price.  Anyway, even if you don't care about the discount, please think about leaving a comment or question. 

I've been working on a gold crocheted pendant using pale green sea glass I found on the tip of South America, in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.  I'll put a picture up soon!  All you readers in Brazil -- I didn't find any sea glass during my short, one day visit to Iguassu Falls. 

Pictures From Provence

view from a hot air balloon!

view from Van Gogh's room when he was hospitalized

It was a dream of mine to see the lavender in bloom in France.  And, we did it - I have the beautiful pictures to share.  Lavender only blooms in the summer, July is best in Provence, and then they begin to harvest it for lotions, etc.  Enjoy! 

Computer crazy

I have just spent hours on the computer with the support desk! Finally, the tech said she would call me back in a few hours.  I can't believe how long this is taking, and I have lost all my files.  Anyway, the internet is working for me, so I can complain here.  Sorry -- I guess we just get used to instant gratification.  Wish I was on a beach somewhere, hunting for sea glass!




Greek sea glass wrapped with sterling silver and a sparkling silver plated ball on
a silver plated link necklace, lobster claw clasp  (SOLD)

Here's a picture of a new design, just for fun.  OOps,  just realized all my pictures are on a harddrive I have to test out.  Well, later...:)

Golf and Sea Glass (Part II)

I am definitely going to add golf to my list of favorite things, along with traveling, creating jewelry with sea glass, and of course, beachcombing for sea glass!  Yesterday was a beautiful day, and my golf league had its usual nine hole, par 3 outing.

 But, there was a surprise for me -- one of the women had beachcombed sea glass along the shores of Lake Erie near Buffalo, NY, and she brought it for me.  There was a beautiful turquoise piece that I will create a custom piece for her.  Also, there was a lovely cornflower blue piece, and a number of whites and greens.  How thoughtful of her!  She had bought one of my golf necklaces last year, but I certainly didn't expect her to go out and look for sea glass for me! 



Sterling silver golf clubs, pearl, and sea glass



Sterling silver golf bag and sea glass

Sterling silver tennis racket and pearl with sea glass

Please check out my website for golf and tennis necklaces.  I always wear my golf necklace when golfing!

Why is Lucky Sea Glass lucky?

Some of my customers and others, too, wonder what is so lucky about Lucky Sea Glass jewelry.  As far as I am concerned, there are a number of explanations.  Obviously, it is truly a lucky find to beachcomb a beautiful, smooth, gem quality piece of sea glass -- which is becoming so rare and difficult to find.  Some sea glass hunters are possessive and secretive about their special beaches -- just because it is becoming so rare.

But, another reason, is that beachcombing and traveling is a wonderful experience, and I feel so lucky to be able to do these activities.  Especially, after working as a psychologist for almost 30 years, it is wonderful to be able to enjoy simple pleasures like walking along a beach.

Creating beautiful jewelry just adds to my good luck.  And, then having others enjoy it and wear it, adds even more feelings of luck

Some of my customers have shared their good luck stories with me.  I put some on my website, but one of my favorites is when a good customer told me she had given her own Lucky Sea Glass necklace to her daughter. When I asked why, she said that it had brought her good luck, and she decided her daughter needed some, too.  And, she said, it did bring her good luck right away!  I won't go into the details, but look on the website if you are interested.

One more explanation -- Lucky Sea Glass has helped me discover new talents, ideas, experiences that I never would have had I not begun collecting sea glass on the beaches of the world.

So, finally -- Good Luck to You!

Creativity and Learning



Horse head pendant



Flower pin

Sparkly Spider Pin

I know this sounds like a serious topic, but I've been thinking how my designs have changed over the past few years as I have improved my wire wrapping and jewelry design skills.  Now, I can put into form what I imagine.  But where does the imagination come from?  It is a mystery to me!  Sometimes, of course, the actual sea glass piece lends itself to a design, such as the polar bear bracelet or horse pendant that I created.  Other times, I just kind of go with the flow of the wire to create my wire twist designs.  It's not like I sit down and plan each detail ahead of time, but I know that many artists do that, with sketches, etc. Here's some pictures to show what I mean.  Any thoughts?  By the way, I love to hear ideas from my custom buyers, as often they have a vision of their own!  Salvador Dali once wrote (to paraphrase) that jewelry is not about the materials as much as the workmanship.  Of course, he had some very unusual jewelry designs.

Buddha in the Attic

Book club tonight -- the book is Buddha in the Attic.  How many of you know about the Japanese who lived in America during WWII?  It is quite a revelation, although I must say this book hammers home the point rather tediously.  I wonder how the book club will see it tonight! Another book, with a similar theme, is On the Corner of  Bitter and Sweet.   I think that one is better written and there even is a  love story between a Chinese boy and Japanese-American girl...Back to sea glass next time!!

Travel Pictures -- Paris last Fall

Paris restaurant

Beautiful views of Eiffel Tower



Cheese course!



Crocheting silver and gold

When we were in Greece several years ago (before my sea glass passion became full blown), I stumbled upon a small jewelry shop, owned by a husband and wife.  They created beautiful crocheted silver designs, and I had to buy one!  When I got home, I knew I had to learn how to wire crochet!  First, I tried with regular crochet hooks -- too big.  Then I bought stainless steel, tiny hooks -- and practiced with plated wire.  Now, I have created silver and gold crocheted earrings and pendants, but meanwhile the price of the precious metals has skyrocketed.  Recently, I created a pendant with gold filled crochet and cobalt blue seaglass for a custom design customer.  Please visit my website to see more of the crocheted designs at http://www.luckyseaglass.com/

Some Lucky Sea Glass designs

How to Care for Sea Glass Jewelry

Caring for your sea glass jewelry is really simple. Like with all jewelry, care must be taken not to drop seaglass. Also, try not to have soap, perfume, and other substances damage the seaglass. A mild liquid detergent cleans the glass if necessary. Sometimes, I use a tiny bit of baby oil on a soft cloth to polish up the glass (don't use too much or the glass will lose its opacity).

As silver often tarnishes, it is suggested you store your silver wrapped seaglass jewelry in a ziplock plastic bag. This will retard the tarnishing. A polishing cloth can clean the silver if needed. I wouldn't use silver polish unless it is a liquid cleaner.

Gold filled jewelry will have a lovely golden finish for many years, as the gold is bonded to the metal. However, please do not use harsh chemicals or abrasives on it.

The gemstones in my Lucky Sea Glass designs also should be treated carefully. Pearls, particularly, should not be worn in the shower or be in contact with soaps or perfumes.

That's it. Pretty simple. For more info about sea glass, please visit my website at www.luckyseaglass.com.

New shop and happy holidays

A while back I mentioned that one of the shops carrying Lucky Sea Glass jewelry has closed. Well, now another shop has welcomed my designs. It is called A Show of Hands and is in Alexandria, Virginia. All the shopping info is on the website, www.luckyseaglass.com I've been pretty busy organizing the items they are going to sell!

Hope all of you out there in the world have a Happy Passover and Easter weekend.