What is the origin of my sea glass are they natural or man tumbled?

by John Takacs
(Brunswick, GA. USA)

Page by: John Takacs - Brunswick, GA. USA

Over ten years ago I find some flat, half round and round sea glass marbles in the Santa Barbara, California area.

Friend of mine she knows more about sea glass than I do and she has the impression that they may be machine tumbled and they were seeded.

I am not an expert in sea glass and I would like to use your expertise and have your opinions about the origin of these sea glass if they are are natural or man tumbled sea glass.

I saw some machine tumbled glass before but they had a very smooth surface frosting looked almost like sand blasting.

I studied the pitting of these sea glass under an X15 magnifying glass and I can tell that the pits are not uniform in size and dept, also some small sand particles are trapped in the pits and the small cracks of these sea glass marbles.

The colors of these sea glass marbles are Aqua, Cornflower Blue, Turquoise and Clear (Frosted White).

The size of half round marbles are around 5/8' (17mm) across and 1/4" (6mm) thick.

The size of the round marble is 5/8 (17mm) Across

Thank you so much for taking your time to help me out with identifying my sea glass.

Regards.

John.



Comments by Editor (David)

Hi John,

From the history you give and the appearance of your sea glass, I am 99% positive it is natural sea glass.

For one thing, it is unlikely that anyone began imitating sea glass until the last few years, when it has become popular.

Then, why would they throw it out? Not logical.

Also, the appearance is exactly that of natural sea glass (as far as one can tell without actually seeing the glass).

You have some very, very nice pieces there and I don't think you need to worry about them. They almost positively authentic.

You provided a nice description and good photos.

Thank you!

David and Lin at OdysseySeaGlass.com

David and Lin @ OdysseySeaGlass.com




For more about natural vs. tumbled sea glass, see:

Sea Glass
 Tumbled Sea Glass
Have you ever tumbled sea glass or wondered if tumbling your sea glass was a wise idea? Would using a sea glass tumbler be the same as natural beach glass

Sea Glass
 Real or Fake Sea Glass Marbles?
By: Marsha - Pittsburgh, PA Question: I bought some marbles online and when they arrived, they did not look right. I went on the sellers website and.



Comments for What is the origin of my sea glass are they natural or man tumbled?

Click here to add your own comments

May 01, 2016
 I HAVE SOME TOO
by: Judy H

I found several pieces like this on the beach in Cayucos. Someone told me they were the glass used in aquariums and vases. Like yours, they are tumbled pretty well. They are just as wonderful as all the other sea glass I've found.It's my thought that if you found them on the beach it's not the "man made" like the stuff that people pick up on e-bay.
Sep 27, 2012
 Thank you.
by: John Takacs

Dear David and Lin,

Thank you so much for taking your time to answering to my concerns about the genuinity of my sea glass.

I also thank you for building this page on your web site for me with my sea glass, which helps me and will help others in the same situations.

Your expertise and your comments are very much appreciated and helps me a lot to learn even more how to identify real and fake sea glass.

Thank you again for been there for all of us who needs your input, your expertise and your precious time.

Kindest regards to both of you.

John Takacs.

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