Collecting Sea Glass

Collecting Sea Glass, Collecting Beach Glass, Finding Sea Glass

OR The Dedicated Beach Comber

Guide to collecting sea glass - Why collect it?

What is behind the fascination with these beach gems? How can I begin collecting? These questions and more are addressed on this page...

Lin with girly at Bowman Beach collecting sea glass

Collecting or finding sea glass - Any person could walk down a beach and FIND sea glass. However, that person would probably:

1. Throw it all back.

2. Give it away.

3. Keep it but stash it somewhere and forget about it.

A person who is COLLECTING sea glass, on the other hand, would probably:

1. Take a quick look before actually exerting self to bend over. A COLLECTOR can tell whether it's worth the effort to pick it up or just let it lie there and mellow.

2. If it's worth picking up, the COLLECTOR will then look closer and make a decision on if it's a keeper or not. If not, it goes back into the surf line for a future date.

3. What the COLLECTOR takes home with him will be closely guarded. It will NEVER be given away except under extreme duress. It will be compared with other pieces. Photos will be taken. It will be evaluated, sorted, and filed in its special place. In fact, it may get BLOGGED!

What it boils down to when you think of the difference between a person who is just FINDING sea glass and a person who's COLLECTING is this...KNOWLEDGE.

Yep. Like most other serious specialties in life, a collector is armed with knowledge. They've spent hours learning how to judge the value and rarity of what they're collecting and that requires research and time.

Yes, a certain amount of down time (down at the library or computer) is certainly part of collecting. One thing is sure though, a person who collects sea glass would much rather be spending his down time...down at the BEACH!

4. Here we get to the nitty gritty of the difference between finding sea glass and collecting sea glass.

Hapuna Beach, State Park, Kohala Coas...

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You FIND sea glass in beautiful beach weather, those perfect days. But if you're COLLECTING sea glass, you'll suffer through rain, snow, sleet, and hail...many literally do that on a regular basis. They're the hard-bitten,dedicated beach combers.

I LOVE SEA GLASS

To get a little more serious though, a collector does need to FIND sea glass, or there isn't any to COLLECT.

So if one wants to become a serious collector one needs to start with identifying what type of beach would be most likely to yield sea glass.

You will also need to know what is worth keeping. A beginner has the tendency to keep every shard found. A collector knows what is valuable, whether to take it home with him or leave it in the waterline to become more tumbled.

So, the next step for you is first - FINDING SEA GLASS - How to Go About Identifying the Most Likely Beaches for Sea Glass

Then, grading your sea glass and learning the rare colors.

And if you are thinking of buying sea glass: What is real or genuine sea glass? What is tumbled or "man-made" sea glass?