HOME > ADDITIONAL RESOURCES > GENUINE VS ARTIFICIAL
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duplicating any portion of this document without permission is a violation of international copyright
laws. This document was produced as a compilation between several of the original board members of
NASGA including Richard LaMotte and Charles Peden.
GENUINE BEACH SEA GLASS
ARTIFICIAL BEACH SEA GLASS
Originating from discarded bottles and tableware, or glass from shipwrecks and household items
lost in natural disasters.
Quantities of some colors are severely limited. Colors such as orange, red, yellow, cobalt blue,
purple, turquoise, "black", and Vaseline are very rare. Genuine sea glass in these colors is normally
never sold by the pound.
Sea glass is often hydrated and may have a "frosty" surface, appearing crystalline in structure.
Hydration is a slow process where the lime and soda in glass is leached out by the constant contact
with water, leaving variable pitting on the surface of the glass. The soda and lime can combine with
other elements to form tiny crystals in the surface of the glass. Many good specimens will sparkle in
the light. It is impossible to duplicate this process with out actually allowing nature to take its
course over several years.
Small "C" shaped patterns may emerge on the surface of the beach sea glass and small hair line
cracks may develop on some pieces.
Natural tumbling is often uneven on rocky shores, where a piece of sea glass got stuck with a
portion of it still exposed. This process frequently produces shards that are triangular shape, and
yet in some areas such as sandy beaches, the tumbling may be very even making them well rounded and
nearly uniform in shape.
Sea glass may frequently be composed of identifiable bottle necks, bottle bottoms lettering and
other unusual shapes and distinguishing features such as mug handles and so forth.
Sea glass continues to go up in price as supplies dwindle (littering is discouraged) and more and
more people become collectors. Recent years have seen two books on sea glass come out, C. S.
Lambert's Sea Glass Chronicles and most recently Pure Sea Glass , written by Richard
LaMotte.
Originating from either a factory, workshop or rock tumbler (in rare occurrences people bring
premature sea glass home to finish it off in a rock tumbler). Craft glass may be made from sheets of
glass which are cut up and tossed into a rock tumbler or acid bath. Craft glass can also come from
recycled glass bottles. Some who are a bit more particular will actually seek out old bottles which
to then turn into tumbled craft glass.
Nearly all colors are readily available in quantity and pricing between colors is fairly
consistent. Since one does not cost more than the other to produce it's a sure sign of artificial
sea glass.
To duplicate the hydration process that genuine beach sea glass undergoes, many manufacturers will
etch the glass in an acid bath after tumbling it. Improperly rinsed, the glass may still contain some
acid residue which can be toxic. Some large craft stores that carry tumbled craft glass caution you
against using it in your aquarium and to avoid excessive handling. This type of tumbled glass is often
used in the floral industry in vases to support flowers.
Etched glass has a satiny appearance and will be very uniform in its finish. It will be devoid of
any small "C" shaped patterns on the surface, (which may occur on genuine beach sea glass).
Tumbled glass is often quite rough on the edges. If it is well worn the pieces in the lot will
usually be small yet very similar in the overall degree of tumbling.
Many times tumbled craft glass comes in large chunky amorphous shapes, and sometimes it comes as
nearly uniform squares and triangles. If it is recycled glassware such as bottles, odds are that you
will only find mass produced bottle necks or bottoms, nearly all of the glass will come from mass
production and in any color.
Tumbled craft glass has a market and the differences are easy to see up close. It pays to be
informed and ask questions.
BUYING TIPS
There are many sources to purchase sea glass, but fraud does exist and it pays to be an educated
consumer when shopping for sea glass.
Ask before you buy: Just because the seller is advertising that they have beach sea glass, does
not mean that the glass has ever been to a beach. Some sellers are simply uneducated in the
differences between genuine sea glass and artificially tumbled craft glass. Some try to pass off
craft glass as beach glass and there are plenty who sell the genuine article and spend hours
searching for it.
If the picture in the listing or the bag of sea glass shows very uniform color, with no variance
in the hue from piece to piece, odds are that it is tumbled craft glass. Blurry, poorly-lit pictures
are also a red flag.
Pricing is not a reliable indicator of authenticity, as some sellers price differently then
others based upon supply and demand. That being said, if you see a pound of red advertised for
$10.00, odds are that it is not genuine natural beach sea glass.
In the picture below, there is genuine beach found sea glass on the left and on the
right of the picture, artificially tumbled craft glass.
In the next picture, the artificially tumbled craft glass has been covered up.
Here is another picture of artificial sea glass:
