Authentic Sea Glass Jewelry: Locally Found and Loved
Sea glass found in the Chesapeake Bay is a popular collectible due to its unique history and beauty. This smooth, frosted glass is the result of broken bottles, glassware, and other glass items that have been tumbled and weathered by the bay's waters over many years. The Chesapeake Bay, with its rich history of maritime activity, shipwrecks, and settlements, has produced a diverse range of sea glass, including pieces from old bottles, jars, and even historic artifacts.
The bay's sea glass varies in color, with common finds including green, brown, and clear glass, which likely originated from beer, soda, and wine bottles. Less common colors like blue, purple, and red are rarer and more prized by collectors. These colors may have come from older, more specialized glass items such as medicine bottles, decorative glass, or stained glass.
Collecting sea glass from the Chesapeake Bay is not only a popular hobby but also a way to connect with the region's history. Each piece of sea glass tells a story of the bay's past, from the bustling trade routes to the everyday lives of the people who lived along its shores. The appeal of Chesapeake Bay sea glass lies not just in its beauty, but in the mystery and history embedded in each piece.
Sea glass, often regarded as a beautiful and unique collectible, holds value due to its rarity, the time it takes to form, and its aesthetic appeal. Sea glass originates from broken glass bottles, jars, or other glass items that have been weathered and tumbled by the ocean over decades or even centuries. The constant motion of waves and sand smooths the sharp edges and gives the glass its characteristic frosted appearance and rounded shape. This natural process can take 20 to 100 years, making genuine sea glass increasingly rare as pollution control and recycling reduce the amount of discarded glass entering the ocean.
The value of sea glass is determined by several factors, including color, size, shape, and rarity. Common colors like green, brown, and white are typically less valuable, while rare colors such as red, orange, cobalt blue, and purple can command higher prices due to their scarcity. The origin of the glass also plays a role; for example, pieces from historic sources or unique items like old medicine bottles or antique glass are particularly prized. Additionally, larger, well-formed pieces with smooth edges and a uniform frosted surface are more valuable than smaller or irregularly shaped fragments. Collectors and jewelry designers often seek out sea glass for its natural beauty and the sense of history it embodies, using it to create unique, handcrafted jewelry and art.
The pieces of sea glass in our jewelry have been collected by a local diver who checks the tides and the phases of the moon for optimal timing to collect sea glass. Diving into the Chesapeake Bay he knows where to look for the best sea glass where boats for centuries would dump their trash as they came into port. After he collects the sea glass, it is then cleaned. Then our jewelry artist takes the pieces and has them cut to fit in specific designs she has handcrafted with sterling silver in Bali. We also have some authentic lavender sea glass from Maine in our sea glass jewelry collection. You are invited to browse our authentic sea glass jewelry collection.