Collecting Sea Glass

Sea Glass Artists & Sea Glass Collectors


Please join us on Sea Glass Artists & Sea Glass Collectors

Last November I created Sea Glass Artists & Sea Glass Collectors which is the original Ning social networking site for sea glass collectors. This network is made up of friendly and creative people and has been oriented to the collector, the artist and the enthusiast since the beginning. Our network is a wonderful resource where we enjoy cultivating each others creativity and supporting one another in a non competitive atmosphere. This is not a commercial endeavor it is something that I started just for fun. All are welcome to join.


Collecting Sea Glass

Collecting sea glass in the Outer Banks of North Carolina



I have been collecting sea glass for over twenty years. It never occurred to me that one day there would be sea glass books, sea glass festivals and a sea glass association. These events have sparked great interest in sea glass and have turned a lot of people on to collecting sea glass. Those of us with sea glass businesses have further cultivated this interest and have benefited from it as well. When I first envisioned having a website to sell my jewelry I felt that it would be incomplete if there was not an educational component. I have a lot of respect for my customers and visitors to this site. Obviously anyone who purchases a piece of sea glass jewelry would love to collect sea glass as well and I think that is great.


Glass Beach

The beaches listed below are a sea glass lovers paradise and are called Glass Beach because they have so much sea glass!


Glass Beach In Fort Bragg, California

Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, California is now incorporated into the state park system of California and removing sea glass is now forbidden there. The idea being that people should be able to go to Glass Beach and witness the beauty of a beach full of sea glass. Hopefully people will understand and respect this and not pilfer the treasures that have washed up on the beach there.


Beachcombing In Florida

I have not found a lot of sea glass here in Florida. However, the gulf coast of Florida is still a beachcombers paradise as many of the beaches are loaded with beautiful shells and ancient sharks teeth. The bird watching is phenomenal, every now and then a manatee cruises by and dolphins usually make an appearance.

Although I can not offer any good Florida sea glass leads I can recommend an awesome source for information on Florida's beaches - David McRee maintains the BeachHunter.net website and has published a book FLORIDA BEACHES - Finding Your Paradise on the Lower Gulf Coast. David also generously offers a free e-book on Florida beach safety which can be downloaded from his website.


Rivermouth - Rincón, Puerto Rico

There is a tidal pool in Rincón, Puerto Rico that is now legendary amongst sea glass lovers. If you visit this area please be advised that there is a stretch of beach between the tidal pool and Rivermouth that is extremely dangerous for swimming. When the waves are up you can see the undertow in action. This is probably where the glass that is carried down the stream at Rivermouth gets transformed into sea glass. Much of my Rivermouth sea glass is very satiny and I wonder if these conditions are the cause.


Collecting Sea Glass In Costa Rica

Although I have quite a bit of sea glass from Costa Rica I can not say that it is truly a sea glass collecting destination. When my husband and I visit Costa Rica we walk the beaches for miles and miles to access remote surf breaks. The sea glass we collected there was the odd piece found here and there over vast stretches of beach when we weren't even looking. Friends tell me that they find sea glass at Playa Conchal but that it is not worth going there just for that.

Despite all the rivers that run to the sea there is not a lot of sea glass in Costa Rica. One reason is that Costa Rica has had a strict bottle return policy for years. When I first started visiting the country in the late 80's if you wanted to leave the store with a drink they would pour it in a plastic bag and put a straw in it as the bottles carried a hefty deposit ( Yes the "to go" plastic bag negates the purpose of the recycling law ). That empty bottle had value and they were not letting it out of their sight! You often see cases of empty bottles stacked up at bars, restaurants and stores waiting to be cashed in. Because of the Costa Rican recycling effort there is not a lot of glass that finds it's way to sea. Costa Rica is far from perfect environmentally but the country has been a shining example environmentally in many ways and it's beaches are far cleaner than the beaches in Puerto Rico and other Central American Countries.