Have you ever heard about the thing called ‘Sea Glass’ or ‘Beach Glass’? I hope that the answer will be yes! Actually, there is a little difference between sea glass and beach glass. But both of these are very beautiful, smooth and frosted small pieces of glass which can be found on beaches along the seas, oceans. Besides their beauty, they have an actual value. In this article, I’m going to bring you some interesting facts about sea glasses and give you some tips about the places where you can find those sea glasses!
What is this sea glass?
Actually, sea glass is a creation of both man and nature. Glasses, bottles, and jars which were discarded carelessly by humans were reformed by the sea and creates that beautiful sea glass. It can be also considered as a reverse gem. I say that because traditional gems like emeralds and diamonds are made by nature and then humans refine them. But these sea glasses are made by humans in the form of bottles and glass. Then nature refines them by smoothing and frosting. So it is the reverse form of traditional gems.
There is also a term called ‘beach glass’. This term is also used interchangeably with sea glass. There are some little differences between these two. Sea glass usually comes from saline water of the seas. But beach glass comes from freshwater sources. And they have a different PH level than sea glass. But shapes, colors, and other things about both these are very similar.
From where does sea glass come?
The journey of the sea glass starts from discarded things like bottles, tableware, and household items. Those things may be purposely tossed into sea or water resources or sometimes those may be lost things from natural disasters. Just think when you are having a party on a cruise ship and you may toss an empty glass bottle to the sea hoping that it will disappear. But will it? No. those glasses don’t disappear in the deep sea. Sea tides wreak them, smash them in the sea for a long time. And they are also wrinkled by salt, sand, and other things in the sea and give them a smooth, frosty, and polished appearance.
Usually, it takes between 7-10 constant years for these pieces of glass to become sea glass. But nowadays it is harder to find sea glass as using glass has become minimum than in the past. Before the 1960s, there were no plastic and everything came in glass bottles or jars. So the coastal residents just buried their trashes in the sand or tossed them to the ocean. But with new technologies, people invented ways to recycle glass and used to use plastic instead of glass. So by today, it is becoming harder to find sea glass.
Is it possible to create artificial sea glass?
Yes, it is. Artificial sea glass can be manufactured in a workshop or a factory. In there, sheets of glass are cut up and placed in an acid bath. Not only that, but also people manufacture artificial sea glass from recycled glass, like bottles. I know, now you may worry about how to differentiate natural sea glass from artificial sea glass. Let me help you. Usually, natural sea glass is not available in colors like purple, orange, yellow, red, or black. But artificial sea glass can be easily found in any color. Another thing is natural sea glass has faded colors as the color continues to shade with the age.
Where you can find this sea glass?
Sometimes you may think that you can find sea glass at any beach. But it is not true. All beaches are not capable of creating sea glass. That is why finding sea glass is hard. There are some famous beaches around the world for sea glass. I’m going to give you information about some of those beaches in here. If you live near these beaches or ever wish to travel these areas, this information will help you a lot!
# Fort Bragg, California
Fort Bragg is a charming town which is situated on the northern coast of California. In there, you’ll find a beach called MacKerricher State Park Beach which is a very popular glass beach. From 1906 to 1967, this beach was used to discard cars, bottles, and batteries. As a result of this, years later this shoreline started to fill with smooth colorful sea glass. But the thing is you can visit this beach, but you are not allowed to bring sea glass from there as it is a property of California State Park.
# Vladivostok, Russia
If you ever wish to travel to Russia, traveling in winter may not be very suitable for a vacation, but it is a good time to see colorful sea glass popping on the shores against the white snow. If you ever go there, don’t forget to visit Steklyashka Beach in Vladivostok. When considering the formation of this beach, there was a discarded ground of a porcelain factory and sea waves have transformed it into this beautiful beach for decades. This beach also borders the Japan sea and now this is considered as a protected zone. So now you can enjoy this beach much better.
# Kauai, Hawaii
Hanapepe Bay Beach in Kauai is not usually found in many guidebooks. But if you head to the southwestern end of Kauai town, it is easy to find this beach near Port Allen. This beach is the end of this island and used as a trash dumping area for several decades. With time, the ocean has recycled some of those trash as sea glass and now this beach is a paradise for photographers and collectors of sea glass.
# Ireland Island, Bermuda
Most of the beaches in Bermuda consist of some amount of sea glass. But there are some places you can grab the best bounty. Black Bay Beach and Sea Glass Beach are ones situated near each other and are well known for their sea glass. When you ever travel Ireland Island don’t forget this beach as you can find heaps of glass here.
# Davenport, California
Davenport beach which is located north of the small town called Santa Cruz is very popular among sea glass collectors. As many treasure hunters know, the best time to find sea glass is after a rainstorm or low tide. This beach remains some of the most beautiful sea glass in the world. So some treasure hunters go far with their wet suits to grab the treasure directly from the ocean.
