What is a sea marble?

Sea glass marbles are said to come from four main sources: ship ballast, Codd bottles, playing marbles, and railroad marbles. Of these, playing marbles make up the overwhelming majority, especially here on US shores.

Are sea marbles rare?

It turns out in the big scheme of beachcombing, finding sea marbles is actually very rare. Finding one of the holy grails as my first piece was a blessing and a curse.

Is Seaglass rare?

A product of both nature and man, sea glass is one of those rare phenomena that only occurs when two worlds work together. Although most glass is thrown into water as a result of littering, years and years of erosion cause the creation of beautiful pieces of frosted glass.

Did ships use marbles as ballast?

New research has found that clay marbles were not used as ballast by all ships, stating instead they used sand or stone – a much cheaper material. The use of marbles strictly as ballast is likely a misunderstanding. The colorful glass marbles we seek, however, did not originate from shipwrecks.

What makes sea glass valuable?

Certain pieces can be much older, thicker and have characteristics that will make a shard of sea glass more valuable. Colors that are rare are those that no longer have a modern source and colors that were expensive to make (such as vivid red which required actual gold to make the molten glass that hue).

Seaglass, Marbles, And a valuable Lesson!!

What is the rarest color of sea glass?

Orange is the most rare sea glass color mainly because there was very little orange glass made. Orange was never a popular color for mass produced bottles so most orange sea glass is probably from decorative tableware, art glass/vases and maybe the edges of red warning lights.

Why is red sea glass so rare?

However, red sea glass has always been rare to find because of how it's made. While there are different metals and metal oxides that change color when added into the mix, some red glass is created by using particles of gold. If you do find a red piece of sea glass it is likely from an old Schlitz beer bottle.

Why are marbles found on beaches?

And in the past, dumps were frequently located along rivers and waterways, which would flow to the ocean. For coastal communities, dumps could be found along bays and sea-bluffs. Erosion, tides, and time brought many a lost marble into oceanic currents. Until one day - decades later - they resurfaced on your beach!

Why does Lake Erie have so much beach glass?

Lake Erie is shallow, which means the waves can be incredibly rough. Those whitecaps toss pieces of glass, rubbing them on rocks and sand, frosting them and transforming them into jewels.

Why are there marbles in Lake Erie?

Marbles are a favorite Lake Erie find. They may have been loaded into the ballasts of ships centuries ago for stability. Or they could have been dumped by marble manufacturer Akro Agate into the Cuyahoga River. Or they could have been thrown into the lake by kids at Euclid Beach Amusement Park.

How can you tell if sea glass is real?

Genuine sea glass is mostly found to be triangular in shape, and not uniform at all (just ask a sea glass jeweler looking for matching earrings parts), though sometimes glass from deeper water, that was older (and likely thicker) and survived longer will have a rounded or bulbous shape.

How many years does it take for sea glass to form?

Sea glass takes 20 to 40 years, and sometimes as much as 100 to 200 years, to acquire its characteristic texture and shape. It is also colloquially referred to as "drift glass" from the longshore drift process that forms the smooth edges. In practice, the two terms are used interchangeably.

How do I know if I have sea glass?

Distinguish between glass and sea glass. It takes at least 7-10 years for a piece of glass to become sea glass. If you've found a piece that has jagged edges and shiny spots, that's still glass. Sea glass, on the other hand, is well-frosted and has smooth edges from being churned by waves over time.

What is Black sea glass?

Black sea glass can originate from bottles manufactured as long ago as the 1600s. The term black glass refers to the very dark, almost opaque, olive-green or olive-amber color of the glass.

What is Bonfire glass?

Bonfire Glass - Glass that has been exposed to the high temperature of a fire, usually from burning in a bonfire or as part of trash incineration in a beachside dump. This glass will often have a strange shape and debris, san, ash, or other items lodged inside.

What is the biggest piece of sea glass ever found?

Their story was featured in a recent issue of Beachcombing magazine. The frosted piece of glass is 12 inches high and 64 inches around. It's the largest sea glass on record, according to the magazine story. The piece weighs 275 pounds and measures about 12 inches high and 64 inches around.

How do you dig for sea glass?

Where is the best place to find beach glass?

Does sea glass have value?

Make no mistake, sea glass is a commodity. It has real value, with some individual pieces selling for up to $1,000 and more.

How do you collect marbles?

What beach in California has sea glass?

Glass Beach is a beach adjacent to MacKerricher State Park near Fort Bragg, California, named from a time when it was abundant with sea glass created from years of dumping garbage into an area of coastline near the northern part of the town.

Is purple sea glass rare?

True purple glass is much rarer. In our English Sea Glass collection, it averages one in 5000 pieces as true lavender glass was reserved for the Monarchy (showing Royalty) and for the Bishops in the church. Light Blue or Cornflower Blue (Pre 1900 Phillips MOM bottles, Bromo Seltzer, Vick's Vapor Rub, etc.)

Why does old glass turn purple?

Solarization of Glass

It is a photochemical phenomenon that is not yet perfectly understood. It is generally accepted that the ultra-violet light initiates an electron exchange between the manganese and iron ions. This changes the manganese compound into a form that causes the glass to turn purple.

Where does orange Seaglass come from?

Orange sea glass most likely originates from auto warning lights, vintage Avon glassware, decorative glass items and art glass. One In ten thousand pieces of sea glass might be orange.