Sometimes Retailers Sell Counterfeit Sea Glass Unknowlingly

Thought you might be interested in this -- A few days ago I noticed that Artbeads was selling seaglass beads in every color ---- clearly not real, beachcombed sea glass. So I emailed them about it, and they replied quickly, checked with their supplier who confirmed that it was tumbled glass, not sea glass. Artbeads now advertises the items as glass beads! And, they thanked me for pointing out the issue. So, hooray for Artbeads.


I only use genuine, beachcombed sea glass I have found around the world.  Sale is on now on everything at Storenvy for everyone with code  LSG20  

U.S. sales only at this time.                                            Sale

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Cultured sea glass, sand tumbled sea glass, art seaglass --- all machine made!

As I am watching other sea glass sites, I am discovering there are more and more ways of describing fake sea glass and misleading or confusing the customer!  Just saw a site selling orange earrings for $12, and the description is that they are inspired by the ocean, cultured sea glass!  Well, orange sea glass is one of the rarest colors to find, and to find two matching pieces would be next to impossible, but to sell them for $12  -- obviously they are not genuine sea glass earrings. 

Recently, in a store in Florida, the shopowner showed me some "sea glass" earrings.  Again, they were perfectly matched, identical turquoise triangles  (another rare color).  I looked at the card describing them, and it said they were sand tumbled.  Clearly, you can toss in some sand in a tumbler, and voila, you can create your own fake sea glass.

Genuine sea glass has been tossed by ocean waves for months, more likely years. People study the origins of the sea glass found on beaches -- old bottles, glassware, boat lights, etc.  A well regarded book on the subject is Pure Sea Glass by Richard LaMotte. If you are serious about sea glass, check it out.

Painted Sea Glass

I thought I have written all there is to say about sea glass, but here is something more to watch for.  That is,  sea glass or just glass that has been painted red, yellow, orange, whatever.  This is not genuine, unaltered, natural sea glass. True sea glass artists would never paint it to obtain colors.  It is just another variation of man made or artistic look alikes.  All Lucky Sea Glass colors are genuine, unaltered by me,  created just by the surf!

Wisconsin and Lake Michigan Sea Glass

So  far I have not found any sea glass, but I did tour a submarine in Manitowoc and had anice cream sundae in Twin Rivers where the sundae was supposedly invented.  Have walked a lot of  beaches.  I have found some plastic and one pretty tile on the beach.   Sea glass is hard to find! I will keep looking!

Yay.  Found a couple of smooth pieces today after a lot of beachcombing.  I will put up pictures soon!

Beware of Fake Seaglass Earrings

As you can imagine, it is very difficult to find two pieces of seaglass that match up well for a pair of earrings.  I try to match pieces from the same geographic area, so I compare seaglass finds from Hawaii or Bermuda for example, looking for color and shape matches.  Once I have done that, I design the earring style, decide on silver or gold, and get to work.  The first earring is usually the easiest, but with the second one I have to be careful to match the size and shape of the first!  That is more challenging.  Lately, I have been creating dangly earrings, so they have to be the same length of course. 

In my travels, I have seen pairs of blue, red, and even orange so-called seaglass earrings. Just imagine how difficult it is to find even one piece of blue seaglass, or red or orange, let alone two that match perfectly! You have to wonder about earrings like that, especially if the price is really low. They probably are man-made, fake seaglass. I only use genuine, beachcombed seaglass. Many times the fake seaglass is sold as seaglass, so you have to be careful. Genuine seaglass often has little c's or pit marks, but not always. Color and price also can be a warning sign, and read the labels carefully!   Read my earlier posts about Fake Vs, Real Seaglass for more information.

 

Sea Glass - Real or Fake Continued

It is so important to buy sea glass jewelry from artists you can trust.  There are many vendors who sell manufactured or machine tumbled glass as "sea glass".  Some even take their glass pieces down to an ocean or river so they can claim it has been tumbled by the sea! Nobody can really stop these fakers.  Genuine sea glass looks different, feels different, and, of course, has a unique and special history.

Check out my previous posts for more information about sea glass.  The main reference book, Pure Sea Glass by Richard LaMotte, also provides detailed information about it.  Members of the North American Sea Glass Association try to inform the public about sea glass.  But, for now at least, sea glass is not regulated.

Lucky Sea Glass only uses genuine, pure sea glass found in oceans, lakes and rivers around the world!  I guarantee it.  99% I have found myself!  The rest, from trusted friends who have found a few pieces for me as they travel.

 

More About Fake vs. Real Seaglass Part III

I found this article on the web, and thought the pictures are really helpful.  Also, the article may add to what I've already posted.  Just browsing various sites I have seen that there are many vendors selling jewelry as seaglass which clearly is fake.  I hope this helps.  Please be assured, I only use genuine, beachcombed, natural seaglass in Lucky Sea Glass designs.

"EACH PIECE OF SEA GLASS HAS IT'S OWN UNIQUE MARKINGS, SHAPES, SIZES AND COLOR AND NO ONE PIECE IS EXACTLY THE SAME. THE MARKINGS, KNOWN AS "C" CHECKING MARKS THAT CAN BE NOTED IN VARIOUS SIZES, SEEN CLEARLY IN PICTURE #1 & #2 SEEN BELOW.

 THEY LOOK LIKE LITTLE HALF/ QUARTER MOON SHAPED ETCHES THAT CAN ONLY BE MADE BY THE CURRENTS OF WATER, OVER THE MANY YEARS. THIS WOULD NOT BE SEEN WITH MAN MADE TUMBLED GLASS. YOU WOULD NOTICE AN EVEN PITTING AFFECT ON THE GLASS AND WOULD BE MUCH SMOOTHER EVEN TEXTURE WITH LESS VARIATIONS IN THE ETCHING ON THE SURFACE SEEN IN PICTURE #3.

IMITATION SEA GLASS CAN HAVE AN EVEN, ALMOST PERFECT APPEARANCE OR CAN HAVE A VERY CHUNKY APPEARANCE NORMALLY NOT ROUNDED. SOME MANMADE GLASS WILL ALSO APPEAR TO BE CHUNKY THICK WITH AN IRREGULAR SHAPE AND ROUGH APPEARING JUST ON THE EDGES LIKE IN THE PICTURE #4
IT IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER THAT THE PATINA/ ETCHING OF SEA GLASS WILL ALWAYS VARY WITH SOME OF THE FOLLOWING FACTORS: THE AGE OF THE GLASS, TYPE OF GLASS, HOW LONG THE GLASS WAS IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS OF THAT LOCATION, THE WATERS IS ORIGINATED FROM, WATER PH, CURRENTS, SAND AND ROCK CONSISTENCY.

GLASS FOUND IN THE U.K. DIFFERS FROM GL I HAVE SEEN EVEN A DISTINCT DIFFERENCE IN THE SEA GLASS FROM THE PECONIC BAY AND THE LONG ISLAND SOUND, WHICH THERE IS ONLY 3 MILES OF LAND SEPARATING THE 2 BODIES OF WATER AT SOME POINTS ON THE ISLAND."
#1 AUTHENTIC SEA GLASS
#2 AUTHENTIC SEA GLASS
#3 FAKE SEA GLASS

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!