Home - What is Sea Glass
When you are first starting to collect beach glass or sea glass, you might have questions about what you've found.
Even those with more experience might have trouble telling if a certain object is beach glass or not.
We'll answer the main questions - What is Sea Glass? and also the related question What is the difference between Beach Glass and Sea Glass?
These four marks of identification will be present for a shard of glass to meet the classification of beach glass or sea glass:
When a glass shard has been naturally tumbled, rounded, and etched on all surfaces, it is classified as beach glass.
First:
What is Sea Glass
Sea glass is beach glass - beach glass is found on freshwater or saltwater shores, but sea glass is found only on saltwater shores.
Beach glass and sea glass are shards (pieces of glass) that shows specific characteristics. We'll talk about those characteristics next.
For simplicity's sake and because of its common use, we will sometimes use the term "sea glass" to refer to both fresh and saltwater beach glass.
What is Sea Glass
The more general term "beach glass" refers to glass that can be found on fresh or saltwater shores, but "sea glass" is beach glass specifically found only on saltwater beaches.
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Since most of the beach glass found is from saltwater shores, the term sea glass is used generally to apply to all glass shards that have the necessary characteristics (marks of identification).
What is Sea Glass
It is beach glass if:
What is Sea Glass
Even for experienced sea-glassers, it is at times hard to tell the difference between certain pebbles and sea glass.
First, it must show the characteristics or marks of identification mentioned above.
*There are exceptions to the above instructions; for example, fire melt (bonfire glass) and semi-opaque glass such as milk glass, jadite, insulators, some marbles, ceramics and other semi-transparent glass are not clear.
These steps, however, will eliminate most rocks or pebbles that look like glass.
Definition -
Glass Becomes Sea Glass or Beach Glass when:
1- A piece of glass has been tumbled by natural wave action to the point where there are no sharply-defined edges or corners, and
2 -The natural action of elements in the water along with sunlight and tumbling action have produced a unique frosted or etched surface covering all sides of the glass.
If these two factors are not present, it is just a glass shard, no matter where it is found.
*The term "Beach Glass" is more general and includes naturally-tumbled glass that is found on freshwater beaches as well as ocean beaches.
So, I'll say, "Sea glass," and see how they respond. Some will ask right off, "What IS sea glass?" Some already know what it is.
On the other hand, some are hesitant to let on that they don't know what sea glass is, so then I'll usually ask them if they know what sea glass is.
If they don't know what sea glass is, I'll say something like:
"You know, when you're walking along the beach and you find little pieces of glass of different colors.
Those are from busted up bottles and glassware that have been in the salt water for a long time and because of the currents and the sun and the waves and the sand, they turn out really frosty."
Or, if I'm wearing a piece of sea glass jewelry, I will show them that.
Then, it's like, "Oh, wow!"
What is Sea Glass
Have you heard that the best way to learn to identify counterfeit money is by getting very familiar with the way real money looks?
The same is true of sea glass or beach glass.
One of the best ways to answer the question, "What is sea glass" is to see the real thing.
The more you see, the easier it will be to recognize.
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