Seaglass

Did you know that it takes about 30-50 years for the sea to break down glass into sea treasure, and not all beaches are capable of creating it, which is why a good sea glass beach is hard to find. The best options are usually near former dumping grounds, where there is consistent wave movement. Also beaches with shingle, rather than sand are best to find sea treasures.

Each piece of sea glass is one of a kind. You can find a hundred pieces on the beach, and each one will be different, like a snowflake. Even parts of the same glass bottle will turn out differently, with each one having a particular shape, smoothness, and amount of frosting. 

The most common colours of sea glass are clear, brown, green and seafoam. Rarer to find colours include blue, turquoise, yellow, red, purple and pink!

Sea glass can be called many things including mermaid's tears, beach glass, sea gems, beach jewels, sea pearls, and drift glass. 

Red and orange sea glass colours are rarer to come across. There are two reasons for that. The first is that fewer things were made from those colours. The second is that those fiery hues once required a colourant that was only derived from real gold, making them expensive. 

White, brown and green sea glass usually originates from bottles thrown into the sea.  Who'd have thought that discarded bottles and jars, battered and broken, eventually become beautiful glass “gems.” 

Soft blue, cornflower, and aqua shades are less rare than some blues because they were used in medicine bottles, mason jars, and decorative pieces. Turquoise is the rarest blue sea glass and is very hard to come by. 

Today, sea glass can be harder to find than it was in the past. Not only are more people searching for it and collecting it, but many glass items have been replaced by plastic. Not to mention that there are many more restrictions on ocean dumping these days (which is a good thing). 

Hunting for sea glass is a fun thing to do, especially with children. Next time you visit the beach, take a look around to see if you can find any of this special treasure.