Sea glass, also known as beach glass, is becoming rarer to find for two main reasons. The first is that over the last decade or so, fewer glass items such as bottles are finding their way into the sea. Although this is good from an environmental point of view, it is heart breaking for collectors and enthusiasts. The second reason for the decline in beach glass is that more people have become aware of its existence and rare status resulting in more people collecting it to make items such as sea glass jewellery.
However, there is still plenty of it to be found if you know where and how to look. Although most beaches will have at least some pieces of beach glass, some will have a great deal more. The location of the best beaches for finding the treasured glass depends on a number of factors including the conditions of the sea in that area, accessibility and popularity with other collectors. The best thing to do is under take a search on Google for and you will find that collectors or jewellery makers will often list their favourite places for finding it.
Once you have found a beach local to you, it's time to work out when best to go. The best time for finding sea glass is at low tide as the greatest expanse of beach is available for searching on. Again you will be able to do a Google search and find out low tide times in your area. The best time of year for sea glass collecting is in the Spring after high spring tides and storms which will have washed it ashore.
Once on the beach, there are two main methods for finding beach glass. The first is to look along the water's edge. Sea glass is frosted in appearance when dry which can make it difficult to spot amongst the pebbles depending on its colour. However when it is wet, it is easier to spot. You are looking for pieces of smooth shaped glass, with the most common colours being green, brown and clear.
The second method of finding beach glass is to look along the tide line. This is where the majority of sea debris is washed in from seaweed to rubbish and glass. If the tide line is dry, sea glass will have a frosted appearance although most colours should still be obvious to spot. The most treasured pieces are old so will be very smooth in shape - often an oval or triangular shape. However watch out for fresh glass which will have been washed in too. This will be clearer in appearance and is likely to have sharp edges so be careful if handling it.
Often beginners to sea glass collecting will simply pick up all the pieces they find. However more seasoned collectors and people that use it to make sea glass jewellery and other items will be more selective about the size, colour and shape of the pieces they pick up, leaving the rest on the shores for others to enjoy.
However, there is still plenty of it to be found if you know where and how to look. Although most beaches will have at least some pieces of beach glass, some will have a great deal more. The location of the best beaches for finding the treasured glass depends on a number of factors including the conditions of the sea in that area, accessibility and popularity with other collectors. The best thing to do is under take a search on Google for and you will find that collectors or jewellery makers will often list their favourite places for finding it.
Once you have found a beach local to you, it's time to work out when best to go. The best time for finding sea glass is at low tide as the greatest expanse of beach is available for searching on. Again you will be able to do a Google search and find out low tide times in your area. The best time of year for sea glass collecting is in the Spring after high spring tides and storms which will have washed it ashore.
Once on the beach, there are two main methods for finding beach glass. The first is to look along the water's edge. Sea glass is frosted in appearance when dry which can make it difficult to spot amongst the pebbles depending on its colour. However when it is wet, it is easier to spot. You are looking for pieces of smooth shaped glass, with the most common colours being green, brown and clear.
The second method of finding beach glass is to look along the tide line. This is where the majority of sea debris is washed in from seaweed to rubbish and glass. If the tide line is dry, sea glass will have a frosted appearance although most colours should still be obvious to spot. The most treasured pieces are old so will be very smooth in shape - often an oval or triangular shape. However watch out for fresh glass which will have been washed in too. This will be clearer in appearance and is likely to have sharp edges so be careful if handling it.
Often beginners to sea glass collecting will simply pick up all the pieces they find. However more seasoned collectors and people that use it to make sea glass jewellery and other items will be more selective about the size, colour and shape of the pieces they pick up, leaving the rest on the shores for others to enjoy.