Who Says White Seaglass is Boring?

White Seaglass

White or clear is the most common colour of natural seaglass found. That doesn't mean it's never of interest.  Recently I found several cool pieces in fabulous shapes. They were of the clean-looking, pearly white variety. The odd-shaped nugget on the left is destined for a keychain methinks. The others may end up as pendants or Christmas ornaments...I will know when I go to wrap them in silver.

 All of them are heavily frosted, so must be several decades old. Frosting occurs when the soda and lime are leached naturally from the glass by the sea. This is a very long process and it can take a 100 years or so to produce a really 'crusty-looking' piece.

Found on a Dublin shore, this fan-like, sun-ray design is stunning. I would hazard a guess that this piece is from a bowl or decorative dish of some sort. It reminds me of some of my Mum's Irish crystal. Wrapping it in silver wire will be a challenge as I don't want to cover up the pattern, but rather, work with it. I am half tempted to use this as a paperweight (though I have to admit, paperweights are surplus to my needs and I'm not a big fan of shelf brick a brack.)

This shell-like piece reminds me of a certain potato crisp (chip to you in the USA.) It will make a pretty pendant as it is the perfect size and shape.

frosted seaglass bottle stopper

 I was thrilled to find this bottle top. It's especially rare to find one of these on the Irish coast.

 

Unfortunately, it's not completely intact but it is nonetheless, a very special find. Again, I may keep this one but if I decide to wrap it, it will present an interesting challenge.

White seaglass may not be so rare, but you can make lots of beautiful things with it. Here are some of the items I've made from white seaglass:

Fairy Bookmark and white, unisex seaglass pendant

(fairy ornament, sold)

To learn about shades of BLUE seaglass click: HERE

To learn about shades of GREEN seaglass click: HERE

To see PALE (SEAFOAM ETC) shades of seaglass  click HERE

To find out how to clean seaglass and sea pottery click HERE

More Interesting Sea Glass

Here's another interesting piece of old seaglass I recently found on a shore near Dublin. I haven't quite worked out yet what it is and what is on it. It looks like part of some sort of crest with writing around the edges perhaps. That may be a motif of a shield on the right. I need to study it in different lights and with a magnifying glass to work it out. If I find anything of interest I will share it here. Or indeed, if anyone can shed some light on it, please do.

Click here to learn: How to clean Seaglass
Click here to see my seaglass jewelry and gifts for sale on Etsy

30 Shades of Pale

There really seem to be several shades of pale when it comes to seaglass. Here is a glimpse at some of the lighter and whiter pieces I have been wire wrapping recently: I have not played with the colour in the photos.  All the specimens were found on Dublin beaches.

 Pale aqua and seafom seaglass pendants  

None of the above are exactly 'white seaglass' as they all boast aqua or seafoam undertones. The greenish, seafoam shade is caused by the iron content of the sand used to manufacture the original glass. Though I often see very pale shades like the one on the left being called seafoam, I wonder if 'white-washed' wouldn't be a bit more accurate.

The second from the left has more than a tinge of  bluey-green to it, which comes up even deeper and richer in low lighting.  

White seaglass ornaments or pendants

Above are examples of true white seaglass for comparison purposes. If you'll grant me one pun, the difference is clear.

To learn about shades of BLUE seaglass click: HERE

To learn about shades of GREEN seaglass click: HERE