May/June 2007

Trash to Treasure

Sea glass collectors turn the remnants of old bottles into previous pieces of jewelry and art.

By Deb Weissler

Our region's beaches contain a trove of treasure that, to many people, appear to be just basic bits of trash. But others know better.

Along the strands that border the Chesapeake Bay and the Outer Banks, man has discarded the source of these treasures for centuries. Caressed by waves, scoured by sand, and tossed by storm tides upon the beach, these discards are, for many, a collector's delight. After a storm, veteran treasure seekers descend, searching for jewel-like colors sparkling in the sun -- emerald, sapphire, topaz, diamond and ruby. No, not precious gemstones, but shards of sea glass, frosted and shaped by nature's hand.

For generations, glass -- beverage and paten medicine bottles, snuff jars, inkwells, insulators and ceramics -- has been dumped overboard into the sea as trash, buried in coastal landfills, or sunk in shipwrecks. Then, a molten mix of sand, soda and lime has helped the evolutionary journey come full circle. Tossed or washed into the sea, bottles and glass are broken, tumbled smooth, etched by brine, and eventually washed back upon the shore. If overlooked by sea glass hunters, it will eventually be turned back into sand.

So where did it come from, what was it, and how long has it been around before resurfacing?

Colors provide enormous clues -- the cobalt blue of medicine bottles; the rare and coveted red of lanterns and Depression glass; turquoise that may once have been a flask of piece of art glass; and rarer yet, the orange of old tableware and carnival glass. Yellow, teal, gray, aqua, pink and amethyst all provide hints, not only to their age and origin, but also to the chemical formulations that created them.

Many collectors place their finds in jars; set upon a windowsill, they sparkle like rainbows in the sun. in recent years, photographers have captured sea glass images that sell for hefty prices, jewelry makers have crafted custom sea glass pieces, and prices for raw sea glass on online auction sites have soared.

With a personal collection of some 30,000 pieces of sea glass, Nancy LaMotte launched her Chesapeake Seaglass jewelry line in 2000, her custom designs inspired by the fantastic shapes and colors of sea glass her family has collected throughout the years on area beaches. "The pieces I choose to use in my designs are the more rounded and worn shards that have been in the water for a very long time," she explains. "The various colors we find along the shores of the Chesapeake relate to each other so well. Periwinkle, aqua and lime are one of my favorite combinations. I like it so much that I painted our bedroom these colors. We live and breathe sea glass."

For the rest of this story, see the May/June issue of Hampton Roads Magazine, currently available on newsstands.