Sea Glass Pendants

Sea glass (also known as beach glass, mermaid's tears, lucky tears, and many other names) is glass found on beaches along oceans or large lakes that has been tumbled and smoothed by the water and sand, creating small pieces of smooth, frosted glass. Sea glass is one of the very few cases of a valuable item being created from the actions of the environment on man-made litter.

The color of sea glass is determined by its original source. Most sea glass comes from bottles, but it can also come from jars, plates, windows, windshields, glasses, art, flasks, containers, and any other glass source that has found its way into the ocean.

Artificial sea glass produced to meet craft demand at a cheaper price, and a wider range of colors, is often produced using a rock tumbler. Such glass lacks the romantic provenance of true sea glass, and differs in many technical ways, (e.g. long-term exposure to water conditions creates an etched surface on the glass that cannot be duplicated artificially), but for professional sea glass collectors, authors, artisans, and retailers the main issue is honesty regarding the source of glass.