Hawaiian Sea Glass

Sea glass are pieces of glass from broken bottles, tableware, or even shipwrecks which have tumbled and rolled around in the ocean for years until smooth and round, and the slickness of the glass has changed to a frosted appearance. 

Heart-shape sea glass 🙂

Sea glass is NOT beach glass, and that’s a distinction many are not aware of.  Sea glass is from the ocean and has tumbled against sand, rocks, coral etc.  The best pieces of sea glass have been in the ocean for decades or even centuries, leaving them more frosted and smooth than their younger counterparts.

Beach glass, on the other hand, is artificially produced.  While it looks similar to sea glass, there are some clear distinctions in color and frostiness.  When I say that it has been artificially produced, its made from broken pieces of glass that are placed in a rock tumbler or put into acid.  Beach glass is often used for jewelry and people try to pass it off as sea glass, so be sure to know what you’re getting whenever making a purchase.

If you want more information on distinguishing the two, then check out http://s101385769.onlinehome.us/SeaGlassAssociation.org/GenuineVsArtificial.php.

A delicate anklet I made using small pieces of sea glass.

This year I started making jewelry and incorporating shells and sea glass that I would find along the beaches of Oahu.  Every day after work I would roam the beaches, seaching for the day’s special find.  These tiny treasures come in all different shapes and sizes, with the most common being green, brown and white.  So I always tried to end the day on a high note, collecting a “gem” (which for me was one special piece of blue, purple, or even red-the rarest of the rare which I have found on occasion).

A typical day of collecting…

A happy day filled with a lot of favorites

I have been working on my jewelry more, using sea glass I find and drill myself.  I like to work with small pieces, but those are the most time-consuming to drill and they shatter easily.  But regardless of the difficulty, I love it.  It is a very rewarding process to be able to create a wearable piece from the sea.  That’s why I named my jewelry line Wailani Jewelry.  It means heavenly waters, and these gifts are from these incredible waters that we are surrounded with.

A necklace I made recently

That’s all for today, but thanks for stopping by!  If you have any sea glass stories or tips, please feel free to reply in the comments section.  Until next time, aloha!

Peace, love & shells,

Jessica

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunrise Shells

Lately I’ve had the amazing privilege to go diving for shells with some friends who have been kind enough to take me on the boat, provide me with scuba gear, and share their knowledge with me.  They have been diving for sunrise shells for years, and their collection is quite impressive!  But I’ve now got to go 3 times, and am building a collection (and deeper appreciation) for these magnificent beauties myself!!

 

Some of my favorites 🙂

 

To give you a little background about “sunnies”…

Hawaiian Sunrise Shells are found in remote locations in deep waters off the coast of all of the Hawaiian islands, and nowhere else in the world.  The exact dive locations of where these are found are closely guarded secrets, and for good reason.  These rare shells are certainly special, offering a variety of color and abundant beauty.  They are strong, and make beautiful adornments.

A necklace I made for my mom for Mother’s Day 🙂

 

But this past weekend, I got extra lucky!!!  I think my favorite part about collecting sunrise shells (besides diving 95 feet down to the ocean floor to look for them), is the excitement because you never know what you will get.  Its like my friend Christy says, “Its a magical Easter egg hunt.”  On my first dive I found an albino sunrise shell.  The rarest of the rare.  It was gorgeous, and people couldn’t believe I found one.  Then, this past weekend, I found another one!!!!!!!!!  Now I can make earrings lol!

Albino Sunrise Shells – the rarest of the rare!

 

I’m just getting started making some things out of these beauties.  Typically I like to paint, but with all the beautiful shells I’ve been finding, I can’t help but make jewelry and other projects with them.  I will be opening a jewelry store by the end of the year.  I’ll let you know when that’s up and running, but hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.  I mostly make necklaces and earrings using sterling silver or goldfilled materials, with shells and sea glass that I find myself.  If anyone has any tips on where to buy sterling silver and gold wire and/or bead gemstones please let me know!  I’ll blog more about the jewelry stuff next time.  Until then…thanks for reading  and have a great day!  Aloha!

Peace, love & shells,

Jessica