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How to Hunt for Sea Glass

Many people who enjoy a stroll along the beach also search for beautiful jewels of the sea, known as "sea glass" or "beach glass." Collecting these colorful gems has become an extremely popular and addictive hobby! The colorful glass pieces, which come from bottles, lamps, and glassware that were discarded into the sea, may have been in the water for hundreds of years. They have been tumbled and broken in the water, over and over again, giving their distinct characteristics. Many collectors create jewelry and other crafts with sea glass that they have personally discovered.

Things You'll Need

bucket or container

Instructions

- 1
  
  A wet shoreline is a prime place to spot "sea glass."
  
  Go to your favorite beach or shoreline. Sea glass has been found on shores all over the world, including beaches in Spain, Russia, Greek Islands, Aruba, Puerto Rico, Saint Thomas and United States. Lucky collectors have found sea treasures on the beaches of Hawaii, Cape Cod, Maryland, California, Ohio, Fort Bragg and Lake Erie.
- 2
  
  Look or sift through debris from a shoreline for a piece of colorful glass.
  
  Search for a sandy wet beach area along the shoreline where there are crushed stones, shells and debris. It is in these areas that you are most likely to find sea glass.
- 3
  
  Sea glass comes in all sizes and shapes.
  
  Sift through the sand, looking for "color" shining through the crushed shells and stones. The most common colors of sea glass are white, green and brown. Rarer colors include very deep aqua, cobalt blue, sea foam green, lime green, lavender, purple, rose, red and orange. Beach glass will always vary in shape and size.
- 4
  
  Sea glass makes a lovely display.
  
  Examine the glass findings, looking for rounded edges and a "frosted" look to the glass. The frosted look is the result of glass pieces being tossed and tumbled around in the water over time. Glass that is shiny or has sharp edges is not yet "aged" or ready for making jewelry.
- 5
  
  Deeper colors are very hard to find.
  
  Place the treasures in your container and continue looking for more sea glass. Some days you may find large quantities of sea glass, while other days may produce no glass at all.

Sea Shell Collecting