How to Identify Sea Glass
Is it a rock, clam shell or small colored crab? Chances are if you see a smooth, colored item on the beach, it's sea glass. Sea glass is deposited into the ocean and then transformed through a naturally occurring process into appealing little beach treasures. Identifying sea glass should be the easy part; the challenge lies in finding it.
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Instructions
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Know What to Look For
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Have patience when searching the beaches for sea glass. Sea glass can be harder to find nowadays, because littering (which is the most common way for glass to end up in the ocean) is less socially acceptable than it once was.
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Keep your eye out for unusual colors during low tide. This is when the largest amount of beach is exposed. Brown, green and clear are some of the most commonly seen colors, but blue, yellow and a number of other colors can also be found.
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Understand that sea glass can come in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes. Some beaches that are very sandy will produce sea glass of almost identical shapes. Most of the time, it can be found in sizes ranging from coin-sized pieces to partial bottle shapes.
Examine More Closely
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Identify genuine sea glass from the small "C" patterns and tiny cracks along the surface. Both occur naturally when the glass is tossed against the waves and rocks.
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Look for sea glass that has a frosted appearance with smooth edges. This frosty look assures collectors that what they have found is safe and pretty sea glass, as opposed to dangerous, broken-glass litter.
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Look for an uneven triangle shape, which is fairly common with sea glass.
Identify Imposters
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Realize that factory-made glass never has the C-shaped pattern found on genuine sea glass.
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Be aware that sea glass sold in bulk and of one color is most likely artificial sea glass. It is nearly impossible for a collector to find large quantities of the same color sea glass, especially rare colors, on beaches.
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Identify genuine sea glass when purchasing from websites by making sure the pictures of the glass being sold are very clear. Blurry pictures or those of low quality can sometimes indicate artificial sea glass.
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Tips & Warnings
When searching for sea glass, only pick up glass that has smooth edges. Do not pick up sharp broken glass left on the beach.
