Have you noticed the sea glass boom? Have you caught the sea glass fever? I know it has made me stop to ask myself, just why?
I started collecting sea glass at least 50 years ago, yikes!! did I just say 50? Yes, I was about 10 years old, living on the NJ shore, and collecting not just sea glass, but shells and driftwood. Never dreaming I would become a sea glass jewelry designer.
Plastic has taken over our world. One day I think there will be jewelry made with plastique' instead of sea glass.
The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970. The Greeks in Athens, 500bc were the first to have a municipal dump, so some could say that this is when recycling started. Either way, we have become more aware in the last 40-50 years about public dumping and littering. This has made for less sea glass, making it much more desirable. As with most humans we always want what we cannot have.
With the sea glass boom comes business. It shocks me when I google sea glass jewelry, and what pops up on the top of the page, are places like Nordstroms, Walmart, Target and so on. If you are reading this you know like I know, that it can not possibly be genuine sea glass that they are selling. But sadly, for many people, they are not aware, or just do not care.
With social networking, we can find thousands of sea glass clubs, sea glass sites and an abundance of sea glass knowledge. There is also a magazine being published, solely dedicated to sea glass.
Richard Lamotte self published his book "Pure Sea Glass" in 2004. I have to give him credit as this book helped to launch the sea glass boom! I do not know how many copies he has sold, but I have never been at a show, or a sea glass festival, when there has not been a massive line of people waiting to purchase his book. Filled with fabulous photos from Celia Pearson, and and 224 pages of sea glass knowledge, it really is a must for a serious sea glass person.
With places even like McDonald's changing their menu to healthier options, we are becoming more aware of our heath. It has been proven that walking can improve your health. Well, as a sea glass collector you know it requires plenty of walking and bending. My thought is, that people may not start out as a sea glass collectors, but finding the shiny gems along the shores as they are taking their daily walk, will become to temping to ignore. Alas, a sea glass collector is born!
Most of us spend way to much with our electronic devices, look at me typing away here on my laptop. What else is, free, rewarding, healthy and almost medicinal nowadays? Not too much, sea glass has a way of just making you happy!
