Friday, August 10, 2007

Sea Glass Jewelry

There’s something so magical about walking along the beach and spotting shining droplets of bright blue or green glistening in the sand. Sea glass is one of nature’s forms of recycling, taking bottles and glass tossed on the shore and then breaking them down and smoothing them over to create small jewels. The waves and currents act like a giant rock tumbler. Also called beach glass, these small finds usually appear along highly populated ocean shores, bays, or lakesides where there is enough current and wave action to grind the glass smooth. Not only is sea glass an exciting beach treasure, it makes lovely jewelry.

For over 15 years, Linda and Jim Jereb of By the Sea Jewelry have specialized in sea glass jewelry. Located first in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and now in Sebastian Florida, Linda collects her glass from all over the world. In the years past, it was completely uncommon to have bottles and cans made from plastic. Everything was made from glass. Now that so many more of our consumables come in plastic packaging, it is becoming more difficult each year to locate the little glass treasurers that wash up on shore. In response, many people have begun manufacturing their own sea glass in rock tumbling machines. By the Sea Jewelry specializes in using only real sea glass or beach glass for their pieces. They offer pieces like necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and pendants. We love their rings, including this rose colored End of Day ring and the stunningly colored Electric Teal Ring. Each ring displays an antique glass droplet collected from a site in England where a Victorian glass manufacturer would toss the remnant end-of-the-day pieces over the cliff and into the ocean. Rings are set in a sterling silver base.












Linda, of Beach Bum Jewels, has spent many days taking long walks down the shore of Lake Michigan. Using authentic naturally tumbled glass, this necklace has small pieces of cornflower blue and sea foam green glass paired around an abalone focal pendent and suspended on a sterling silver hoop.














Erika Brask of Simple Stones loves the unpretentious beauty of rocks and sea glass. She loves bringing nature closer to people, and her jewelry doesn’t include beads and precious gems. Her recycled glass choker is made from 15 pieces of blue, turquoise, and clear glass hand-wired together into a choker.












Twigs and Heather have another great piece in their sea glass cobblestone necklaces. They collect glass from their hometown of Nahant, Massachusetts, just north of Boston. This Atlantic Ocean glass was combined to make these modern cobalt colored necklaces, perfect for a little sea-breeze inspiration during a day at the office.

Coming from the Pacific Ocean, San Clement, California-based iSea offers this sleek Trinity necklace. A combination of cobalt, emerald green, and aqua colored sea glass drops are bezel set into fine silver. Polished to a high-shine finish, this ornament is stunning.













Finally, artist Jessica Lee also works on the West Coast, finding inspiration from Glass Beach near Mendocino on the Pacific Coast. The sand-smoothed pieces of glass featured in her sea glass bracelet are a superb example of the diverse glass treasures the waves will wash up. The vivid earth-toned colors show how versatile sea glass jewelry can be. This piece is hand bezel set in sterling silver.

3 comments:

Tyler Jones said...

I think I really like this concept. It is very interesting and very unique. Very well done with the post!

jewelery design said...

All the designs are very beautiful and very interesting.

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