Sea Glass

One of our favorite activities on Hatteras Island is beachcombing. After a big storm, you just never know what you may find out on the beach. When we moved here 8 years ago, we were big into collecting shells, all kinds and sizes, broken or whole. Then after hauling too many broken shells home, we decided that they had to be unique or whole to be worthy of a space in our "shell garden".

That rule still applies, but we now focus most of our attention on the hunt for sea glass. Sea glass comes in all colors and sizes. Green, brown and white are the most common colors to be found on the beaches here. For us to consider saving the piece, it has to be fully "cooked" which means, no sharp edges and a full smoky glaze, no shine, no clear glass. Red, yellow, orange and purple are some of the hardest and most rare to find. Blue is more common but is still a rush when found. All of these colors come in varying shades of the hue. In our family, we turn it into a contest to see who can find the most on any one-beach trip. And, when you find a piece you have to do the now famous "Sea Glass Dance". This involves holding the glass in the air, wiggling your rear end and chanting, "you ain't got no sea glass" to the other people on the beach. And yes, improper grammar applies or it does not count!

There are several books about sea glass that can help give you an idea of where a particular piece of glass may have come from. Glass with air bubbles typically are from very old bottles or windows. They could be hundreds of years old and have come from shipwrecks. The density of the color determines the age of the sea glass. For example, the deeper dark green of a piece, would indicate that it is older than a lighter green colored piece. Sometimes you can still read some of the raised logo from a Budweiser or the numbers on the bottom of a brown beer bottle. With plastics becoming more popular, sea glass collecting is becoming harder and we do not always find a piece while we are at the beach. Although we have jars full, the photo is of our box of special pieces. Each was collected for its color or shape. The yellow piece is our newest prize and was found while horseback riding in the cove on Mother's Day.

So next time you are out at the beach, especially at low tide, keep an eye to the ground for a flash of green or white and pick up some sea glass of your own!

Blog entry by Suzie Scholten, Associate Broker, Midgett Realty