Friday, February 24, 2006

Sea Glass Jewelry

My many years of collecting have lead me to actually finding a use for these gems. I decided to create jewelry using the glass and sterling silver. Everything was self taught. I started with the simple art of wire wrapping, then moved on to drilling and now I am in the beginning stages
of soldering. About 13 years ago I began to sell my pieces through private sale - word of mouth. Since then, I have a web site, I have been in a local Salem gallery and I have sold wholesale to a local shop, Port Maia. I am constantly thinking of new and exciting designs. I have started a home goods line - except for the wine charms I have been making for years. I recetly found a fantastic site - Etsy - to set up shop and sell my items online. Things are really starting to take off now! Hopefully someday I will be able to actually have a "professional" design a site for me... but this will do until then.

Summer Is Comming So Let's Put That Groundhog To Rest!!

That is right - summer is coming... although I have to say this winter was not that bad. I am ready to hit the beaches to see what interesting finds the winter tides have churned up. I usually beachcomb year round, however, I haven't been able to get off my rear-end lately! Fall and winter are notably the best times to glass hunt. The rough seas and frequent storms make them prime seasons for collecting. Low tide is the best time to collect. Low tide is marked by a "high" and "low" tide line which you can usually denote by seaweed and debris. I have been sea glass collecting for years now - probably thirteen to be exact. I have bags and boxes of glass that are all sorted by colors and I continue to collect. I am obsessed to say the least. I also find it very relaxing and healing. Like a sleuth, I work the shore in a grid like pattern to make sure I have methodically covered every square inch. With a keen eye, I scope every section - hoping to find that diamond in the ruff. I end up discarding most of my finds because they are simply not "ready". They get tossed back to the surf to churn with with water, sand and tides. I tend to walk past a lot of the white, grass green and brown... simply too common and I have so much of those colors. I could spend a good 1-2 hours just meandering along the shore... time seems to stand still. I tell you, if you have been taking care of your kids, the house and everything else all day... this is like paradise. Sometimes, I may even find a marble or a great pottery shard. When I get home - I rinse my findings with hot water and soap and let them dry flat on a towel. If I am lucky, I may have a cobalt blue or lavender piece. Recently, I found one of the rarest finds - orange! I then add the pieces to my ever expanding collection - each separated by color into their designated box and I am off to plan my next expedition. Who knows what I may find!

Here are links of various blogs and sites that have great information on sea glass and/or sea glass jewelry.