How to Sell Beach Sea Glass
Once a piece of garbage tossed out to sea, sea glass washes onto shores more than 50 years later as translucent, colorful and smooth gems. Most of the intrigue over sea glass may come from pondering its origins, though a piece's color often gives up clues. Hunting for sea glass is an experience that can range from calming to exciting and, sometime, frustrating. Those lucky enough to discover pieces of the increasingly difficult-to-find glass have the opportunity to share them with others while making profit.
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Instructions
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Find an ideal location to hunt for sea glass. According to an article in Seattle Times, shorelines that had manufacturing plants or shipping ports at least 50 or 100 years ago are ideal spots. Other prime locations include beaches near coastal landfills.
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Kayak along the shoreline or comb the beach to find sea glass. The first low tide after a big storm is a great time to search for sea glass that has just made its way onto the beach.
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Watch for rare colors of sea glass that are more valuable than more common colors. While colors such as white and brown are the most common, black, pink and red pieces are harder to find. The most rare color of sea glass, sometimes selling for hundreds of dollars per piece, is orange.
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Find a location to sell your glass. Either start a website, open an online store on an existing seller site or find local markets. If selling online, take high-quality photos to show your sea glass.
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Pull out the best looking pieces of sea glass to sell individually. Large, smooth pieces that are frosted are considered top quality.
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Use nice or premium pieces to make jewelry or decorations. Holes can be carefully drilled by an experienced sea glass driller to avoid damage. Or, the sea glass can be wrapped in wire or metal to form accessories such as pendants, earrings, rings, Christmas tree ornaments, key chains and bookmarks.
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Sort your remaining sea glass pieces into groups according to color. Sell them in bulk.
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Tips & Warnings
While your combing for sea glass, pick up other unique items such as sea pottery or sea China that has been churned up by the waves.
Watch carefully for black sea glass, one of the rarer colors. Because of its dark appearance, it may appear to be rock and is often overlooked.
Do not attempt to sell artificially conditioned sea glass (glass that has been tumbled in sand-filled machines and treated with corrosive agents) as genuine beach sea glass. This practice is deceptive and, nearly always, buyers will be able to tell the difference.
References
- Photo Credit sea glass image by Patrick Moyer from Fotolia.com
