Some of the beautiful sea glass collected by Jacques and Jessi as they developed their hunting skills.
Finding Sea Glass 101
Couple Shares Their Tips & Tricks for Finding Sea Glass
My fiancee' (Jessi) and I are an unlikely couple. She loves the bustle of the big city, and I'm more particular to the rustling sound of leaves in the wind. She loves a fancy restaurant, and I love a hole-in-the-wall diner. Needless to say, the early times in our relationship were an ongoing search to find common ground between us.
One attempt involved a $250 metal detector (we split the cost), and the two of us wandering aimlessly along a salty coastline. We were on our hands and knees in the mud with our shovels digging up pennies, soda cans, clumps of aluminum foil, toy trucks, and other oddities, all while staunchly ignoring the stares of nearby swimmers and sunbathers who were clearly having a much nicer time than we were.
Then it happened: Among the sand and seaweed, Jessi found a beautiful, bright blue piece of sea glass. Then I found one. Then we found a few more. By the time we'd reached the end of the beach, we'd forgotten our metal detector entirely, and were stuffing our pockets full. Our relationship was saved! (We're getting married in July.)
Story continues below...
Related Articles:
Today, we look back at the pieces we fawned over during our first days of hunting, and we chuckle fondly. If we found these pieces today, we'd throw them back! We've learned over the years that sea glass hunting is definitely something that you improve on with time.
"We've learned over the years that sea glass hunting is definitely something that you improve on with time."
If you're new to sea glassing, we'd like to pass along some of the good karma that the hobby has brought to us, and help you start finding the best pieces as soon as you can.
Plan the Best Times to Start Your Hunt
Choosing the best times to go sea glass hunting can triple your hoard for the day. Savvy sea glass hunters check tide charts online to find out when the waters are lowest, and plan accordingly. If the beach is popular for sea glass hunters, we recommend that you plan on being there about an hour before the lowest point of the tide. This gives you more time for fruitful hunting, and makes you the early bird in the search.
Jessi and I find nice pieces all year long, but we find that our best pieces turn up during the colder times in winter, when no one in their right mind would be out there. We also like to go "storm chasing", and arrive at a beach right after a hurricane or tropical storm has hit. With everything churned up, we find some wonderful things!
Find a “Dirty” Beach
A smooth, well-groomed beach is not likely to be a fruitful one. This is because most of the rocks, litter, and debris have been "combed" out of the sand mechanically. During this process, the best of the sea glass will often be cleaned up with it.
