Sea glass
Sea glass are naturally weathered pieces of
Formation
This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2017) |
Sea glass begins as normal shards of broken glass that are then persistently tumbled and ground until the sharp edges are smoothed and rounded. In this process, the glass loses its slick surface but gains a frosted appearance over many years.[3]
Naturally produced sea glass ("genuine sea glass") originates as pieces of glass from broken bottles, broken tableware, or even shipwrecks, which are rolled and tumbled in the ocean for years until all of their edges are rounded off, and the slickness of the glass has been worn to a frosted appearance.[4] Then, the glass will wash to shore where it may be collected.
Colors
This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2013) |
The color of sea glass is determined by its original source, and most sea glass comes from bottles. Besides pieces of glass, colored sea pottery pieces are often also found.[3]
The most common colors of sea glass are
Less common colours include
Uncommon colors of sea glass include a type of green, which comes primarily from early to mid-1900s Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper, and RC Cola bottles as well as beer bottles. Soft green colors could come from bottles that were used for ink, fruit, and baking soda. These colors are found once in every 50 to 100 pieces.[5]
Purple sea glass is very uncommon, as is
Extremely rare colors include gray, pink (often from
Antique black sea glass
Old black glass bottles that had iron slag added during production to increase strength[7] and opaqueness were at times broken in shipment.[8]
Artificial
In order to make artificial sea glass, a tumbler, sand, and glass are necessary.[9]
A number of characteristics highlight the differences between artificial sea glass and natural sea glass, starting with the coloration and surface texture of each piece.[10] An example of natural sea glass will usually have a frosty, almost powdery texture at different points.[10] One of the most reliable indicators for natural sea glass is a C-shaped design all over the outside of the sample.[11] If the design is located on the piece, it is authentic sea glass, since artificial glass will typically not have that particular design.[11] Sea glass usually comes from broken glass bottles or other household items, so pieces found on beaches will not be perfectly shaped, unlike artificial sea glass, often sold as beach glass.[11]
See also
References
- ^ "What is Sea Glass or Beach Glass". bytheseajewelry.com. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
- ^ "The Godfather of Sea Glass: Richard LaMotte Boosts the National Profile of Sea Glass Retrieved". Sea Glass Journal. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ a b "What Is Sea Glass?". Find Sea Glass. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
- ^ Park, Elizabeth. "Where Does Beach Glass Come From?". USA Today. Demand Media. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
- ^ ISBN 978-0975324608.
- ^ Dean, Cornelia (October 18, 2010). "From junk to collectible, shaped by time and tide". New York Times.
- ^ "Black Sea Glass, Black Beach Glass". odysseyseaglass.com. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- ^ "Antique Black Glass Bottles". Antique Bottle Collector's Haven. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- ^ Cathy (2012-06-28). "How to Make Fake Sea Glass". FIND SEA GLASS. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
- ^ a b Messerschmidt, Peter. "The Issue of Natural vs Fake ("Man Made") Sea Glass". North Beach Treasures. Archived from the original on 2016-06-23.
- ^ a b c "North American Sea Glass Association". Retrieved 2018-07-31.
Further reading
- Park, Elizabeth. "Where Does Beach Glass Come From?". USA Today. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
- National Geographic magazine, "Environment" section: "The Shard Way", August 2008
- http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artnov11macro/JosephineWyman/JW_SeaGlassArticle.pdf