Sea Glass Art

Sea glass art, the finest characteristics of sea glass are their colors and contrasts, which inspire many artists to transform this unique debris into some astonishingly beautiful art.
Artists working in clay may embed this glass as decoration into thrown or molded works. The usual forms include pottery and mosaics. By drilling holes into tiny pieces, a skilled jewelry crafter can string them as beads. Artists can also create 3D sculptures of wired glass free-standing or mounted onto canvas.
Comb beaches and shorelines for sea glass. They're found at the water's edge, hidden in grains of sand or concealed within a shell. Collect assorted colors, including rare blues and reds. Fill a vase or line a shelf with the treasured finds. Turn the frosted glass into pieces of jewelry or works of art to put on display. Decorated sea glass brings back memories of the salty sea and the pebbly river's edge.
Sea glass is the product of man-made debris tumbled on the ocean or lake beaches for years, eventually washing up on beaches all over the world. Before plastics and aluminum came into common use things were much more often packaged in glass. Seaglass hunters are having a harder time finding their treasures in these modern times. As a result of its growing rarity, many people have begun manufacturing their own sea glass in rock tumbling machines.
Genuine sea glass is created by Mother Nature's own recycling process. Glass items in the sea are broken down and smoothed to a polish. The waves and currents act like a giant rock tumbler.
• Take a trip to the beach and search for pieces of sea glass. Collect the sea glass in a bucket or bag, being careful not to break it. Wash the pieces of sea glass with warm, sudsy water. Gently clean off any beach residue (seaweed, barnacles or caked sand) with an old toothbrush. If needed, let the sea glass soak. Once the piece is clean, dry it with a soft cloth.
• Create a sea glass pendant. Choose a colored piece of sea glass with worn edges. Draw a "cage" design on paper. The shape will need to encompass the sea glass. Cut wire 2 inches longer than needed. Wrap wire around the sea glass per design. Leave about 1 inch at the top. Grasp the leftover top wire with round nose pliers. Roll the wire downward to form a loop. Secure end wires. Place pendant on a chain.
• Etch inspirational words. Purchase adhesive stencils with words such as "Believe," "Imagine" or "Dream." Clean sea glass as directed above. Define a suitable working area. Don rubber gloves and eye protection. Smoothly lay the stencil onto the sea glass. Dip brush in etching cream. Apply a thin layer onto the exposed surface of glass. Wait 5 minutes. Rinse off etch cream using a brush in work sink or with outside hose. Remove stencil and air dry.
• Paint an image or design. Clean sea glass as directed above. Cover glass edges with tape.

Genuine gathered sea glass is more fragile than the manufactured type available in craft stores; it can be easily fractured with a drill bit. One must take care to go slowly and work both sides if creating a hole. Immersing the sea glass in water first will help to temper the glass to prevent chipping, burring or breaking. This measure will also protect against breathing in tiny particles of glass while drilling.