Fort Bragg, California This is the sea glass beach, probably the best and most unique in the world. Basically, the entire beach is made up of sea glass instead of sand. The problem is, while you can look and touch, collecting is strongly discouraged (in fact, some sources even say it’s illegal).

“Sea glass” is physically and chemically weathered glass found on beaches along bodies of salt water. These weathering processes produce natural frosted glass. “Beach glass” comes from fresh water and in most cases has a different pH balance and a less frosted appearance than sea glass.

A quality piece of sea glass has no shiny spots, is well frosted (see Frost In Sea Glass Glossary) and has smooth tactile edges. Glass from the ocean is called sea glass. Glass from fresh water sources is called Beach Glass. Sea glass is collected the world over.

Typically found in the Great Lakes, the surface of beach glass is smoother than sea glass which is frostier in appearance and more pitted due to the wave, rock, and sand erosion of the ocean. Beach glass is sought after by collectors and is commonly used to make jewelry.

Sea glass comes from shards of broken glass which originated as bottles, jars, glassware, table ware or even as the result of shipwrecks. The most common source of glass is from companies that sell beer, juice and soft drinks.

The Seven Ultra Rare Sea Glass Colors

• Orange is the most rare sea glass color mainly because there was very little orange glass made.
• Turquoise is the second most rare sea glass color and the rarest type of blue sea glass.
• Red is the third most rare sea glass color.
• Yellow is the fourth rarest sea glass color.

Collecting Sea Glass At Glass Beach The world famous Glass Beach in Fort Bragg is located in the boundary of MacKerricher State Park, which means all of the sea glass and resources are protected by law and you may not collect or take any from the site.

Best Beaches to Find Sea Glass

• Fort Bragg Sea Glass Beach, CA.
• Kauai Sea Glass Beach, Hawaii.
• Del Monte Beach, CA.
• Sea Glass Beach, Bermuda.
• Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.
• Abaco Islands, Bahamas.

Back in the day, there was a general rule to sea glass rarity that everyone pretty much agreed on: Red and blue; rare, brown and clear; not as much. But this was decades before anyone thought of “codifying” sea glass colors. Today, sea glass is more popular than ever, yet rarer than ever.

Fort Bragg

Hunting for sea glass at Davenport is sometimes described as “extreme sea glassing” due to the dangers that come with collecting from this beach. The number one rule to remember is no piece of sea glass, no matter how beautiful, is worth serious injury or death.

The Magic of Glowing Glass. Mixed in with all the regular pieces of sea glass we find on beaches around the world, there are sometimes pieces that were made with fluorescent materials. If you shine a black light on them, they will glow a bright green, orange, red, purple, or yellow color.

Beach glass does not come from lightning. It comes from broken glass that spends years in the water. Like seashells, you are most likely to find it near the shore.

Here’s an example of some “black sea glass” from Italy. The common name “black glass” is perfectly fine to use when referring to glass that appears to be black to the naked eye. This very dark glass, though, when held to bright light, shows that it is actually colored.

Black sea glass commonly is seen in deep olive green, amber and, on rare occasions, teal and blue. However, there are even rarer forms of this elusive group — rarer than red! Unlike other sea glass shards, black glass, because it was made earlier and often hand-blown, is usually filled with bubbles.

Most purple sea glass is actually “sun” purple – in the old days manganese was added to glass as a clarifying agent, and manganese turns purple when exposed to UV rays – like those in sunlight. That’s why some antique bottles have that lovely lavender glow… but more on that below!

Vitrite is glass made with lead oxide and manganese oxide, which gives it a dark purple color.

Of course, “black” sea glass is rarely black. It is very dark brown or green or another very dark color. The only way you can tell it is glass sometimes is to hold it up to a very bright light and see if there is a glow through around the edges.

Black glass has been used to make bottles in North America and Europe since the 1600s when it was discovered that dark glass was stronger than lighter colored glass because of the inclusion of iron oxide. From the late 1600s to the mid-1800s, the majority of English bottles were made of black glass.

Black seaglass (or as we beachcombers like to call it pirate glass) is glass that looks black to the naked eye, but once a bright light is shone through it, it shows up its true colour.

Actually, when held to light, black glass is really a dark reddish-purple. Although a few examples of 19th century American black glass are known, collectors use “black glass” as a generic term to refer to pieces made between 1915 and the present. Smith was one of the largest producers of black glass.

Cobalt, a bright blue mineral, is the colorant in true blue sea glass. Cobalt oxide to be exact. Other forms of cobalt are used to create vibrant turquoise or violet blue purples. Cornflower blue sea glass comes from bottles and tableware with limited amounts of cobalt oxide added to the glass mixture.

Sulfur, together with carbon and iron salts, is used to form iron polysulfides and produce amber glass ranging from yellowish to almost black. Manganese dioxide, which is black, is used to remove the green color from the glass; in a very slow process this is converted to sodium permanganate, a dark purple compound.

Depression glass is so called because collectors generally associate mass-produced glassware in pink, yellow, crystal, and green with the Great Depression in America.

Pink

With its warm rose color and vintage beauty, pink depression glass is a hot item among collectors and antiques enthusiasts. You can easily find this glass in most antique stores, but determining its value can be a bit more confusing. Values can range from a few dollars to over $100.

We do know from lead crystal that minerals can leach out of glass into food and then into bodies when the food is eaten. Myself, I wouldn’t eat off depression glass, but wouldn’t have a problem keeping it to enjoy it’s beauty.