Out Of The Blue Seaglass Jewelry
Frequently Asked Questions Page 2
Frequently Asked Questions Page 1
How Do You Match Up All Of Those Sea Glass Earrings?
After a strong cup of coffee I pour the seaglass out onto a table covered with a white tablecloth. After the first match it all just seems to flow. I strive for the perfect match but sometimes two pieces harmonize and balance although they are slightly different in size, shape or color.
How Do You Determine Which Sea Glass Colors Are Common And Which Are Rare?
With my sea glass from Puerto Rico I go by what the sea has taught me. I stopped counting many years ago at 100,000 pieces and that has formed my view on the rarity of Puerto Rican sea glass.
With the sea glass I have collected in the states I often refer to Richard LaMottes book "Pure Sea Glass" which is based on a collection of 30,000 pieces collected from the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. With my Costa Rican and Indonesian sea glass goes I am still learning.
I do not always go along with the universal wisdoms on sea glass rarity. I believe this obscures sea glass's cultural relevance to the location in which was found.
Do You Make Your Own Findings?
For the most part Yes! Findings are the components that hold jewelry together such as ear wires, chains, clasps etc. I make most of them myself with wire and never use mass produced "pre-fabricated" findings or settings. One exception is the silver dolphin clasp. I do not make these but I have used them since the beginning and still love them. Another exception is the silver chains that I offer for sale along with the pendants.
For instance when I make a necklace or bracelet I do not purchase a ready made chain from a jewelry supply company and hang or glue sea glass on it. I never use adhesives or glue in my jewelry. I make every link by hand from wire and link them together one at a time. In keeping with the organic qualities of sea glass my jewelry does not have a commercially produced look. Out Of The Blue Seaglass Jewelry offers the largest online selection of sea glass jewelry that is truly made by hand.
Is Your Jewelry Available In Shops?
Currently Out Of The Blue Seaglass Jewelry is available at Cynthias which is in The Waterfront Shops in Duck, North Carolina. I use to wholesale on a large scale and had accounts up and down the east coast of the USA, in England and Puerto Rico. However, I felt like a jewelry factory as I was doing a lot of production. I take my time now and savor the creation of each piece. Out Of The Blue Seaglass Jewelry is a boutique business. Each piece is truly handmade which makes mass production impossible.
Do You Still Sell Sea Glass Jewelry At The Lazy Parrot Inn In Rincón, Puerto Rico?
At the moment no, but I do have an inexpensive line of Swarovski crystal jewelry at The Lazy Parrot. Having my own gallery space at The Lazy Parrot was a wonderful experience and I am grateful to the owners and the staff for their support and appreciation of my work. At one point my sea glass jewelry display there was the largest in the Caribbean and possibly the world!
How Do You Drill Sea Glass?
I have added a tips and tricks section to my website. Making Sea Glass Jewelry: Tips & Tricks and there is information about drilling sea glass in this section as well!
Where Do The Seashells In Your Photographs Come From?
Out Of The Blue Seaglass Jewelry operates with a deep love for the ocean. The seashells and corals you see in the photographs throughout this website were collected by me from the beaches of Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Australia, Indonesia and various islands of the Caribbean and the South Pacific and were not harvested live. Many of the seashells, starfish, sand dollars, sea horses, sea urchins and corals sold comercially were harvested en masse live. Although these things are exquisitely beautiful this practice is extremely destructive to the marine environment.
A Note About Imitation Sea Glass
I have only come across a few businesses that attempt to pass off fake sea glass as authentic on the internet, it is not an epidemic. Most sell loose sea glass, but there is the jeweler or two out there that concerns me. There are various signs to look for while examining sea glass for authenticity but these are not fail safe.
Those of us that sell sea glass can really just give you our word. We do not have any objective outside party that can certify that our sea glass is genuine so there is no such thing as officially certified sea glass. It is not feasible for the North American Sea Glass Association, for example, to certify each and every piece of sea glass on the market. However, as a customer I would take comfort in a business's membership in the NASGA.
There are many legitimate sea glass jewelry businesses that are not NASGA members - associations aren't for everyone. Because it is sometimes hard for the inexperienced eye to see the differences between fake and real sea glass I think that the behaviour of the seller is the best indicator.
Sea glass businesses are very proud of their authentic sea glass and take great pains in providing as much information as they can to assure you that their sea glass is genuine. Most of us will go on and on about it. If someone will not or can not eagerly give you a crash course on real vs. fake sea glass then you got a problem. The basic point is that you will never have to tease it out of an honest sea glass seller - if anything we will go overboard on the subject. If you would like to learn more about sea glass please visit this section of my website About Sea Glass Or Beach Glass.
Frequently Asked Questions Page 1
"A pioneer in drilling the glass..." Bienvenidos Magazine