Beach Glass Jewelry

So here are a few pictures of what I make.  Some of the colors are rare...like cobalt blue.  So pretty and rich.  It looks great with silver and crystal!

These earrings are made with Natural "as found" beach glass.   No two pieces are ever alike, so I find similar size, shape and color intensity to make a pair of earrings. 

Here is another pair in the familiar sea blue/green color that I love.

I've also made many unique pendants out of larger pieces........this one is created from a "starfish" shaped piece with bubbles in it (hard to see).  That indicates a really old piece of glass.  The crystals are two large, bi-cone Swarovski iridescent beads. 

Another really rare color is lavender.  Lavender beach glass is able to be historically dated by - it's color!  Prior to the 1920's, glassmakers used the chemical manganese in making clear glass.  When this glass is exposed to UV rays from the sun,  the chemical transforms the glass color to a range of lavender/purple.  The longer the exposure the darker the color. 

Here are some earrings that I made out of two similarly colored pieces:

Beach glass is often also called Sea Glass.  Here is a link to a great website, the North American Sea Glass Association.  There is a lot of great information and pictures on this site!

http://www.seaglassassociation.org/

 

OK, I have to go to "work" now and look for more beach glass!