Finding Sea Glass 101
Continued from page 1, Finding Sea Glass 101
Instead, find a beach that has piles of stones, rocks, or even litter lying around. Or better yet, do a little research on the beaches in your area, and find one that's located near an off-shore dump from many decades ago. Those beaches will be veritable gold mines of old, beautiful sea glass. Locations of wharves are also great spots, as broken glass would often be thrown right off the boat and into the ocean as the ship was docked.
One of the nicest beaches we've ever hunted was completely covered in several feet of fist-sized rocks. Rummaging through those stones yielded many beautiful pieces of purple, white milk glass, pieces of pottery, and a gorgeous citron-colored bottle stopper. Amazing!
Search ALL of the Beach
There have been many times when, just as we were going to give up on a beach entirely, we turned a corner, and viola! We'd be picking up sea glass with every step. Explore a beach thoroughly and often – don't assume from one mediocre day that the beach is a dud. You may have just arrived a few moments after a family of diligent sea glass hunters swept through!
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Two beautiful black sea glass marbles found above the high tide line.
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We find that small, hard-to-reach niches along the beach can be as valuable to search as a few hundred feet of accessible beach. Wear expendable clothing and crawl down rocks to small stretches of sand for some extra-special finds.
"We find that small, hard-to-reach niches along the beach can be as valuable to search as a few hundred feet of accessible beach."
It's also a great idea to check along the shore-facing side of rocks, along water spouts, and to follow up on all"hunches", no matter how unlikely they seem. One of the most fruitful spots Jessi and I have ever discovered is a stretch of abandoned asphalt, covered in sand, with sea grasses growing through. That's been the finding spot for several marbles, as well as some beautiful pieces of purple sea glass.
One last thought: focusing entirely along the shoreline could cause you to miss out on some beautiful finds. If you're in the mood to go on a hunt, and the tide is high, don't be afraid to check out the shifting sands inland once in a while. During one such search in unlikely territory, Jessi found two beautiful black sea glass marbles! (See photo in sidebar)
Look Closely and Take Your Time
I can't tell you how many times, early on, I would have walked right by a marble, a piece of red sea glass, or some other rare treasure only to have someone walking behind me find it. This happened as recently as my last excursion – we stopped to talk to a sea glasser along the way, and he found a beautiful blue glass rod in the sand a few feet behind me!
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