The Beauty in Sea Glass Collecting

"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came."  J.F.K.


Whether an ocean lover, a nature adventurer or an archaeologist, the hunt for sea glass speaks to many of us.  Is it simply beach combing?  Is it hiking?  Is it artifact digging?  Perhaps it is something of all of these and more. I have spent a lifetime along the sea.  I have found myself there, gazing horizon-ward on days when nothing else seemed to make sense.  I have walked along the shore, I've sailed there, sang there and met storms there.

I am a product of the transformation of the sea.

Sea glass too is a remnant of sorts.  A rough and discarded shard; once useful, yet broken and tossed to the depths.  Nature over time, wind-sweeps us back and forth with the tide.  And along a journey.  Perhaps the beauty we find in collecting it comes from a bit of our own journey.

This deep lavender was photographed after an all day hike along one of Hawaii's southernmost shores. The journey was at a beautiful place but the act of discovering too was magical.  And the pieces found each had their own beauty also.

Once our finds are brought home.  They are poured out, their beauty is admired, the glass is washed gently and sorted by color.  Most collectors find the beauty in sea glass in both the hunting experience and in the displaying of it in a collection.

I sort by color or smoothness and  always categorize my glass according to where on this planet I found it (Pacific, Caribbean, Greece etc.).  Some collectors even create beautiful works of art with their historic glass shards.  

View Sea Glass Jewelry Here

  

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Greek Islands and Sea Glass Hunting

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Twelve days in the Aegean Sea's Greek islands was a journey to remember. Posted By: Mary Beth Beuke

As serious sea glass hunters, being anywhere near the water is always what it's all about but being in the islands, walking through the teal blue waters and enjoying the warmth of the Mediterranean climate made for a sea glass collector's paradise.

Our first night in the historic city of Athens, we arrived just in time to experience a spectacular moonrise over the Acropolis. We boated from Athens to the island of Naxos and viewed beautiful, historical ruins right along the shore.

Several days were spent walking the beaches, hunting for sea glass and enjoying the sunsets.

Our friend and Sea Glass Journey book author Christeena, (she's the tan one) who resides in Greece much of the year and who's husband is a yacht captain, took us to a few spots on one of her favorite islands to sea glass collect.

We spent one morning on the island of Paros' beaches. We strolled through the waterfront town's streets and buildings and stepped into a few boutiques and art shops. The architecture avails itself to some very colorful and rich photo opportunities.

On the island of Santorini, steep cliffs and very narrow roads abound. One of the best ways to reach the most remote beaches is to rent scooters and zip around and down to the shore. Local inquiries and maps help too! Many a tour bus could not go down side streets like we could. More than once we stopped at a street-side shop for olive, caper and grape hors d'oeuvres.

We at West Coast Sea Glass are grateful for the opportunity that our little business has provided us with to travel a bit and enjoy many beautiful oceans. For more photos of where we do most of our sea glass hunting, click here.