Sea Glass from the Roosevelt Inlet Shipwreck

A shipwreck along the Delaware coast reveals its pottery and sea glass secrets after more than 200 years under water.
To see the entire article click Shipwreck Sea Glass.

Step away from the sea glass... if you can!

An interesting phenomenon in the sea glass collecting world is the takeover by the National Park Service of coastal locations that were once town dumps. These areas provide some of the best sea glass collecting as they offer copious amounts in a myriad of colors and shapes to hunters who are willing to trek the many miles for the enjoyment of collecting.

Once the National Park Service takes over an area the collector is no longer allowed to keep the sea glass they find. Visitors are told that the sea glass, once trash, is now "a natural resource" and belongs to everybody. This just oozes with irony, doesn't it?

I understand from the Park's point of view the desire to retain the sea glass as it increases tourism to an area ( i.e. $$$ ). If people are allowed to keep the naturally tumbled gems eventually there will be nothing left and the tourists will disappear.

It will be interesting to see if collectors will still be willing to spend the time and money to travel to these locations if they can't keep the sea glass they find. It may be that the Naional Park Service's position is in a Catch 22.

Two National Park locations that I have visited are Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, Ca and Spectacle Island, Boston, MA. Click on the hyperlinks to see more about these areas.

The Old, Rare and Elusive Black Sea Glass Shard

This month's featured sea glass is a well worn shard of very rare black glass. The shard is a thick and black-looking olive-green piece of sea glass indicating it is probably from an old bottle commonly used to transport liquors.

For more information on this shard and black glass in general click Black Sea Glass.

Where Does All That Amethyst Sea Glass Come From?

Have you ever found a piece of sea glass that had a light purple or amethyst tint to it? Have you ever wondered where this glass came from? Well, believe it or not, it started out as clear glass.

Find out more about sun-colored amethyst sea glass by clicking Sun-Colored Sea Glass.

Spectacle Island Sea Glass

Just a short ferry ride from Long Wharf in Boston, MA, Spectacle Island features a marina, visitors center with exhibits, sandy beaches, and walking trails. It also offers sea glass collectors an incredible experience as one of the beaches is loaded with sea glass and pottery from years long past.

But alas... you can't take the sea glass with you. While you can pick it up and photograph it you must leave the shards there for future sea glass hunters to enjoy.

For more on the day trip to this incredible little island click Spectacle Island Sea Glass.