The I Love Sea Glass Blog ~ Dedicated To Sea Glass, Beach Wandering & Other Beautiful Things

Post Holidays Studio Bliss

2012-01-22T08:07:00.001-05:00

Home For Christmas

I love Christmas. We spent this Christmas with my family in Baltimore. Despite the late nights, too much wine and too many sugary treats I came out of the holidays refreshed and relaxed. My only complaint is that this was a snow-less Christmas. I love the icy crystal, sparkling snow and blue shadows of winter. However, the glowing Christmas tree, libations, confections and great company easily made up for that!

Now that the holiday hustle and bustle of filing orders and the gift wrapping frenzy has passed I can now indulge in doing the work I love ~ making jewelry. I have been spending long blissful hours in the studio. I make most of my own jewelry findings ( findings are the components that hold jewelry together such as ear wires, pendant bales, links etc. ). This process calls on me to take my time and puts me into a peaceful contemplative state of mind. Using techniques that have changed little since ancient times I shape and form thick pieces of silver wire into soulful and durable creations. It is such a pleasure to keep these age old traditions alive. On some days music fills the air throughout the house and on other days the studio doors are thrown open to the sound of birds and the breeze. This past week I focused on pendants.

Two of my favorite pendant styles to make and wear are the Sacred Sea and the Sea Dragon. In both styles counter spirals flow endlessly celebrating the motion of the cosmos. With some of my multicolored English sea glass I like to make one pendant with two personalities.

Those of you already familiar with English multis know that many of the pieces have a side that is more vibrant and a side that is more subtle and diffused. Taking the cue from these magical treasures I enjoy creating bale elements that echo this vibe. In the pendants pictured below one side of the bale has a shiny silver finish and celebrates the more obvious side of the sea glass. Keeping in spirit of the diffused side of the sea glass I finished the bale with a matte texture that evokes a soft sea-mist. This design also celebrates the beach as some days are sunny and crystal clear while others are blanketed in mystery as the sea fog rolls in. I love either scenario.

Sacred Sea Bale

Sea Dragon Bale

Gratitude

2011-11-27T19:01:00.001-05:00

A rainy afternoon has the garden glowing and I find myself surrounded by water, light & love. I am calmed by a sense of sweet and intense gratitude. I am thankful for the water that cleanses, the light that glows in the heart and for the love that flows through us all.

Photographing Sea Glass Jewelry

2011-06-01T19:43:00.014-04:00

When I first set out to create a website and realized that I would have to photograph my jewelry I went into a panic. In the beginning I experienced only frustration and discouragement - the learning curve seemed insurmountable. After much experimentation photographing my jewelry is something that I now look forward to.
I lived in the Caribbean for fifteen years and that is where I discovered my first piece of sea glass and started making jewelry. In the tropics you become an extension of your surroundings and they become an extension of you. Inside or outside nature presents itself to you. No matter how clean your house is a trail of sugar ants appears out of nowhere. Lizards are like family members. Banana leaves become temporary place mats and palm fronds weave into useful baskets etc. Gardening efforts are rewarded with fast results. In the tropics things change fast - metals rust, mildew and sticky dust builds up. So whatever is blooming in the garden becomes an ephemeral low maintenance knick knack for a day. Experiencing the Caribbean informs just about everything I do. The spiraling of the surf, seashells and the opening of a flower translates into flowing and spiraling wire work and designs.

Nature is the force behind my work. Although sea glass comes from man made glass it is taken in and recognized by the sea as being natural. It is as if the sea has blended with the glass and the two become inseparable. I find that sea glass comes from the life source - an infinite place of creation and renewal.

While photographing jewelry I try to create a world of depth, texture and color that reflects the world from which it came. Since the tropics is where I come from and is where I created my business I use tropical elements for photographs - seashells, flowers, dried palm fronds and tropical plants etc. Our pool provides a real water element. ( All of the seashells seen throughout our website were found uninhabited on the beach by us ). I photograph my jewelry outdoors in the Florida sunshine. Life in the Caribbean taught me that less is more and I have found nature to be the best photography studio.

The photo sessions at Out Of the Blue Seaglass Jewelry are very simple. Flowers and green and dried palm fronds etc. are gathered from the garden. Seashells, beach stones and other natural items are arranged to create a setting that is meant to serve as a microcosm of the natural world from which sea glass emerged. I find that this process makes picture taking to be a pleasurable and relaxing experience.

I love photographing my jewelry and truly enjoy doing so in a way that reflects the heart and soul of Out Of The Blue Seaglass Jewelry. To learn more please enjoy a visit to our website: http://www.naturalseaglass.com/

All of the seashells in our photographs were found by us uninhabited on beaches all over the world

Today's photo session came to an abrupt end when the sun vanished behind the clouds...

Wire Wrapped Sea Glass Pendants

2011-01-16T11:53:00.028-05:00

Wire wrapping an object for the purposes of adornment is an ancient jewelry technique that serves to not only create a setting for an object but to protect it as well. When I set out to wrap a piece of sea glass with wire I set the following two intentions:

1) To create a piece of sea glass jewelry that has a rustic and ancient beauty

2) To create a piece of sea glass jewelry that is very strong

The idea that I am creating a setting stays at the front of my mind throughout the process and challenges me to make a piece of jewelry where the item is securely held in place by it's setting alone. I never use glues or adhesives to achieve this goal.

I work with heavy gauge sterling silver wire which hammers beautifully and holds shapes like spirals well. The outcome of the intentions outlined above combined with the thick gauge wire results in a wire wrapped piece of sea glass jewelry that with proper care will be enjoyed by the wearer for decades - and could be considered to be a rustic piece of heirloom jewelry.

Many new wire wrapped pendants have just been added to my website and can be viewed by visiting: Out Of The Blue Sea Glass Jewelry

Ideally a wire wrapped setting should hold the wrapped object securely in place without the use of glues or adhesives. Jewelry artists that sell their work and use glues or adhesives should always disclose that in the item description. Over time glues and adhesives break down when used with sea glass so the effect is only temporary.

Keeping Life Simple

2010-11-21T07:25:00.006-05:00

The Placida Saturday Markets

What a breathe of fresh air! We spent the day yesterday at the Historic Placida Fishing Village. This place is nothing but old Florida - a true sanctuary for salty souls! The village is made up of various shops, galleries, a fish market and the Fishery Restaurant.

In the spirit of the old style Florida clothes line art shows ( imagine clothes line strung between palm trees where artists hung there work back in the day ) the Historic Placida Fishing Village is hosting the Placida Saturday Markets.

We are thrilled to have been invited to participate in such a fun event. When living in the Caribbean I use to sell jewelry from a folding card table on a beach in front of a hotel. So Out Of The Blue Seaglass Jewelry is right at home in this setting.

The Placida Saturday Markets will be held on most Saturdays from now through April 23. For more information please visit our website. We will also be adding more blog posts here showcasing some of the highlights of the market so stay tuned!

Out Of The Blue Seaglass Jewelry - The Placida Saturday Markets

2010-11-14T05:12:00.007-05:00

New Sea Glass Earrings At Out Of The Blue Sea Glass Jewelry

We have been very busy for the last few months! We attended the North American Sea Glass Festival in October and are now getting ready for the holiday season and the Florida snowbird season. In the meantime we have managed to add lots of new earrings with rare and coveted cobalt blue sea glass to our website. You can view the new selections here: Out Of The Blue Sea Glass Jewelry - Earrings with blue sea glass Enjoy:)

Frosty White Sea Glass - So Simple & Beautiful

2010-08-29T07:08:00.018-04:00

What is often referred to as "white" sea glass actually comes from glass that was once clear and colorless - or was at least meant to be colorless when it was produced. Back in the day glass makers struggled to achieve a finished glass item that was truly colorless. Very often the result was an almost colorless glass with a slight ( usually greenish ) tint to it.

As a collector I love to come off the beach and sort my white sea glass finds on a sheet of white paper as it is a lot of fun to see the subtle variations. Some pieces are truly frosty white and therefore "colorless" while others have a soft faint tint. I find that since the sorting process can go on forever I store all of this sea glass together. The logic being that it is all "white" or "clear" sea glass - after all the glass makers intended it to be colorless so together it all stays! Every now and then while sorting "white" sea glass I find that I actually found a soft pink or lavender piece that I though was white on the beach - which does get sorted in with my other rare pinks and lavenders...

White sea glass is sometimes considered to be a lackluster find by beachcombers who are wandering beaches in hopes of blues, aquas, reds with an even more hopeful eye seeking the rarest of all colors such as oranges and purples etc.

However, when you start to think about the white it starts to blow your mind. It at least blows mine anyway! The difference between a broken piece of clear glass and a sea transformed shard of frosty white sea glass is dramatic. There it is - the incredible story of what happens to glass in the sea is all explained to you in one piece of sea glass that is often considered to be a lowly common find - yet the story is so pure.

In the image above you can see that most of these pieces of sea glass are truly colorless - if you look closely you can see some shards that are faintly tinted...I photographed these pieces while wet so you can see the subtle nuances.

I found most of the white sea glass in my collection in Puerto Rico - you can learn more about the origins of white sea glass from Puerto Rico on my website: Puerto Rico: White Sea Glass

What Inspires - The Moon Setting Into The Sea

2009-12-16T21:03:00.025-05:00

Setting Moon Sea Glass Pendant

Sea glass comes from lost and discarded glass that found it's way to the sea where it was transformed by the ocean's tides into frosty sea glass treasures. To me it is no longer just glass it is as if the glass has blended with the sea and the two are now inseparable. The way you can hold a seashell up to your ear and hear the ocean I find that you can feel the power of the sea when you hold a piece of sea glass in your hand.

It must come as a surprise to no one that the sea influences and fuels my creativity. I work mostly with sterling silver wire. Some ancient cultures associated silver with the moon and gold with the sun. While working with silver wire I often have a sense of the moon and sometimes get lost in thoughts about how the moons moves the sea.

When the moon sets into the sea sheer silvery light shines on the water and the sky glows with opalescent light. The moon setting into the sea is what inspired the pendant in the picture above. In this pendant the silver spiral represents the moon hovering over the sea.

The Setting Moon Sea Glass Pendant is made with sterling silver wire and multicolored English sea glass that was worn smooth by the North Sea and dates back to the Victorian era.

Amber Sea Glass From Puerto Rico

2009-12-06T12:30:00.031-05:00

The image above shows a mix of amber and golden yellow sea glass and a mouse cone. Collected from the beaches of Puerto Rico.

I love the warm rich hue of amber sea glass. I often hear people refer to amber sea glass as "Budweiser brown." Budweiser beer bottles are a source for this type of sea glass but so are other types of beer bottles along with old Clorox and Lysol bottles. Other sources include medicine, bitters and snuff bottles.

In Puerto Rico all of these things are sources as well. However, there are some additional sources for amber and brown sea glass on the island. In addition to the brands that are familiar to us in the states Puerto Rico has it's own brands of beer such as India, Medalla and Tigre (Tigre is no longer made). Beck's beer and Heineken use to be bottled in amber glass on the island which makes these types of bottles a surprising source. Non alcoholic malt sodas such as Malta India and Goya Malta are very popular in Puerto Rico and are bottled in amber glass.

So the sources for amber sea glass in Puerto Rico and elsewhere go far beyond the familiar Budweiser bottle. While discussing amber sea glass with my Puerto Rican mother she told me that she would be given a spoonful of cod fish oil from a brown glass bottle every night at bedtime just before her mosquito net was tucked in. I can't help but to wonder if any of my sea glass comes from items that were once used by my family.

Sea Glass Artists & Sea Glass Collectors

2009-12-06T12:21:00.004-05:00

If you would like to learn more about sea glass feel free to join us on Sea Glass Artists & Sea Glass Collectors

Evolution Of The Sea Siren

2009-11-29T11:51:00.024-05:00

Eighteen years ago while living in Rincon, Puerto Rico I taught myself this simple bead weaving pattern. I made this necklace with Japanese glass seed beads and cobalt blue sea glass that I collected from the beaches of Rincon. I have had this necklace for eighteen years and still wear it, but I know it will not last forever.

I have always looked to the ancient world for inspiration. I often find myself asking what ancient people that lived by the sea would have done with sea glass. Fueled by that inquiry I strive to make sea glass jewelry that if properly cared for would last for generations - heirloom quality.

So the woven sea glass necklace in the image above evolved into the necklace you see in the image below. Nine pieces of sea glass have given way to five pieces of sea glass and five spiraling charms, which looks less cluttered to my eye. I made the chain, clasp and spirals with thick gauge sterling silver wire. This necklace gains it's strength from the thick wire which is work hardened before and during the jewelry making process. With proper care this necklace will last for generations and could possibly someday become an antiquity.

You can learn more about how the Sea Siren necklace is made here:

Creating A Sea Glass Necklace

New website For Out Of The Blue Seaglass Jewelry

2009-11-22T07:51:00.005-05:00

In the midst of a hectic schedule I somehow managed to redo my website. This last year has been busy. We spent much of June in California so that I could take some jewelry classes. In July we traveled to Prince Edward Island, Canada where we attended the Mermaid Tears Sea Glass Festival. Then it was back to California in October for more jewelry classes. During October we also attended the North American Sea Glass Festival in Erie, Pennsylvania. Now that the new site is done I can spend more time making jewelry doing the work that I love.

Please check out our new site: Out Of The Blue Seaglass Jewelry

The Ultimate Sea Glass Bottle

2009-03-31T14:58:00.006-04:00

This beautiful sea glass bottle was found on the beach in Rincon, Puerto Rico and was worn smooth by warm tropical seas.

The North American Sea Glass Festival

2008-10-17T11:37:00.054-04:00

The Perfect Storm
Photos courtesy of The Sea Glass Journal

The North American Sea Glass Association just held it's 3rd annual North American Sea Glass Festival last weekend ( October 11th & 12th ) in Lewes, Delaware and I am still very much living in the echo of that magical weekend.

The sea glass festival was incredible I mean I kinda had an experience!!!!! I never do shows they aren't for me but the sea glass festival from here on in is the exception. I never got to a lecture other than my own. I wanted to meet everyone and check out all the beautiful jewelry but I was caught in the giant swells of sea glass lovers who made the pilgrimage to Lewes, Delaware. Yep, I am feeling like I witnessed history and this years sea glass festival is now the stuff of legend.

I was only able to attend on Sunday as I had a previous engagement in Maryland the day before. When my husband and I arrived early Sunday morning we were greeted by fellow exhibitors who had been riding the giant waves caused by what seemed to have been a perfect storm. They were trying to prepare themselves and us for what would happen when the doors opened. The gorgeous weather, the East Coast location ( a hot bed of beachcombers ) and the increasing enthusiasm for sea glass brought just about every sea glass lover on the planet to Lewes, Delaware.

The instant the doors opened I became so busy at my booth that I barely got a chance to see any of the other vendors exhibits or visit with anyone. I was told that Saturday was even busier and I could not imagine what that was like. I gave a lecture on the sea glass of Puerto Rico and I really hope those that attended got as much out of it as I did. I had a wonderful audience of people who made my lecture into a very fun experience.

My booth was next to that of the The Sea Glass Journal and things were so busy all day that it was not until the close of the festival that I saw how beautiful their exhibit was. As I admired their display I experienced a sense of shock that I was just then registering it for the first time. The picture below is of their booth.

From what I was told the attendance far exceeded the organizers expectations as there were at least twice the amount of people this year than there were last year. The organizers did a fantastic job. The festival is still in it's infancy and everyone realizes that The North American Sea Glass Festival will demand a larger venue next year.

As a sea glass jeweler I felt proud to be in the company of so many talented and creative people. I already can't wait for next year.

The photo below is of sea glass that was entered into The Shard Of The Year Contest

To see a complete slide show of The North American Sea Glass Festival please visit the website of The Sea Glass Journal which is an online magazine about sea glass

Just How Do You Match Up All Of Those Sea Glass Earrings?

2008-09-23T15:34:00.061-04:00

Sea Glass Earrings

People often ask me how I am able to match up so many pairs of sea glass earrings. It is really very simple and lots fun although time consuming. I do this outdoors in the sunlight so I can see any subtle color differences in the sea glass. I like to have a strong cup of coffee before starting the process!

The first thing I do is gently pour a pile of sea glass onto a table covered with a white tablecloth

I leave the table set up like this all day and come back to it and look for more matches throughout the day

I choose pieces from the pile that would make nice earrings and then arrange them in a grid of sorts. Then as I continue to pull out more pieces I look to match them up with the pieces in the grid. At a certain point it all starts to flow. Sometimes I feel like I am playing the game Concentration! In the image below you can see where I have started a row of matched pairs off to the side...

A nicely matched pair of cornflower or sapphire blue sea glass which will make a beautiful pair of sea glass earrings!

Sea Glass Earrings

The sea glass in the sea glass earrings below was matched up using the process outlined above. I call this style Mariners Dream.

Mariners Dream Sea Glass Earrings