:: California Sea Glass Association::
Real vs Fake Sea Glass :
What is real sea glass?
Natural, authentic, real sea glass can be found around the world on beaches along oceans or large lakes where-ever man has been and left behind his trash. Sea glass originates from old bottles and tableware, or sometimes the discards from glass blowers that has been broken by waves and rocks then tumbled and smoothed by the water and sand over the course of many years; creating pieces of smooth, worn, frosted glass. Fake or tumbled sea glass, is manufactured easily and quickly from scrap glass or bulk glass meant to simulate real sea glass.
Time, sand and surf are the ingredients needed to create worn, flawless natural seaglass and the California beaches provide just that. Old harbors, piers and beach dump sites are where the best sea glass can be found. At least ten years of constant action by the sand and waves is needed to wear down the sharp edges and decades more to reach a worn, frosted appearance.
How can you tell the difference?
Real, authentic sea glass will have a "frosty" appearance which is a result of the ocean salt water and erosion on the glass. Real sea glass will also have irregular "pitting" on the surface of the glass. Much like our own facial pores, some are large and some are small. Tumbled, manufactured glass tends to have a smooth, even texture and is most often angular and flat in shape and is often termed as "craft or art glass". A good rule for consumers is to only buy sea glass from NASGA Commercial Members.
Why buy only Real sea glass?
Real sea glass gains it's value by being just that: "real". Most pieces are of historical significance and the time needed to create a flawless piece of sea glass can take decades in the ocean. It is also hand-found and can be quite tricky to find, much like gold or diamonds. Natural sea glass is a diminishing resource, since we no longer (thankfully) dump our trash into the ocean, less and less sea glass will be available in the future.
Why are some colors more common than others?
Green, clear, and brown beach glass is common (consider the most common colors of beer-bottles). Much more rare are grey, purple, bright red, aqua, and the black varieties. Red and orange sea glass are found only once for every 5,000 pieces! The top 3 rarest colors are in fact 1) orange, 2) red, and 3)yellow. It took me five years of collecting before I found my first piece of orange. Yellow, pink, and turquoise are also among the most treasured colors to collectors. The rarity of these colors lends to the very minimal use of such colors in the history of glass production. So finding a nice frosted piece of red can give a thrill much like finding gold!
Some content above has been provided by NASGA. To learn more about real versus tumbled sea glass and to find suppliers of authentic sea glass, please visit the North American Sea Glass Association at:http://www.northamericanseaglassassociation.org