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The earrings that started it all!

It started very innocently.  On a trip to the Bahamas I found a pair of earrings that were made with faux or fake sea glass.  I knew it wasn’t real sea glass because the real stuff is rarely this perfect! If you don’t know what sea glass is, I’ve found some wonderful sites with interesting facts about sea glass.

Wikipedia: Sea Glass

North American Sea Glass Association

Pure Sea Glass

True or “natural” sea glass is glass from bottles and such that have broken up, and over time the water and sand of the sea has turned the glass into gems.  I’ve found real sea glass in my shelling adventures and also on a trip to Hawaii’s famous sea glass beach.  I prefer to place my true sea glass in bowls rather than turn the tiny treasures into jewelry. 

Some beautiful sea glass found on PureSeaGlass.com

My interest was peaked so I bought the earrings.  I knew the sea glass was manmade, but I just loved the aged, soft look.  Then when traveling to Grand Cayman I spotted some jewelry that wasn’t shaped like the usual sea glass. Instead the glass was shaped.  Shaped like a fish, one of my favorite motifs.  Again, I loved the effect so much I purchased a bracelet and matching earrings.

I was hooked with my second purchase of faux sea glass jewelry!

With this purchase, I decided it was time for me to make some of this fun stuff called faux sea glass.  I was determined.  I had glass I could use.  I just had to find out how to make the faux sea glass.  I had an idea of what would be involved.  I was sure the glass was etched (chemically or mechanically).  I knew I wasn’t going to invest in a sandblaster, a tool used to create beautifully etched glass for windows, doors, screens, and wall art.  I did have a tumbler that I used to polish and smooth some of my lampwork beads.  Thus the investigation began…

Come back soon and have a laugh on me because I really had no idea what I was in for when I decided I wanted to create some jewelry with faux sea glass!

Related posts:

• Investigating Faux Sea Glass
• It Hurts, But I’m Feeling No Pain