Sunday, July 26, 2009

Treasures beneath the Sea

Have you ever wondered how glass is made?
Have you ever tried to figure out how they get th
e great color combination, or the deep hues of red or cobalt blue? Do you know how old the glass formula is?

In the old days, because beach glass has been around as long as we have had glass, it was said to be "Mermaid Tears". It was said that every time a sailor drowned at sea, the Mermaids would cry and the sea glass was their tears washing up on the shore.
Well, going into this adventure of finding "Sea Glass" or "Beach Glass" I turned up some very interesting facts. This exploration took me deep into the history of the travel of the glass itself. Within many books,(yes I said books) I found stories I had never begun to imagine, great places to find this glass and how to search for it. It just makes me want to head out and start looking!

With all this new found information, I decided to figure out why the red glass was so rare and how it was made. This recipe found on the East Carolina University's web site is very old and are not used today, this is more for educational and informational purposes only. This information is from "Book of Formulas
Recipes, Methods and Secret Processes"

Prepared by the Editorial Staff of Popular Science Monthly
copyright 1932:

Red Glass parts
Sand 100
Red Lead 200
Copper oxide 6
Stannic Oxide 6

You may ask what Stannic Oxide is. Stannic oxide is also referred to as Tin oxide or White tin oxide. This is a hazardous material to use. If inhaled it could cause respiratory problems that include benign pneumoconiosis, producing distinctive changes in the lungs with no apparent disability or complications. So with this information, the glass was rarely made. So finding a glimmering piece on the beach is like finding treasures beneath the sea.

With this color and many more,
sea glass is aged and tumbled by the surf and time. Each piece is so individual that finding two identical pieces is impossible. Not to say that it might happen..... And I am not saying that the red is the only rare color. Everywhere Sea Glass is found, and it is found everywhere, its value is partially determined by its color. This is because only a few items were stored in red, blue, lavender, purple or pink glass containers. Likewise certain rare tints and shades of these popular colors are found.
For instance, very rare Cobalt Blue, the "sapphire" of the beach, came from such apothacary items as Milk of Magnesia, Vick's Vapo Rub, Noxema, Nivea, and Bromo Seltzer bottles, along with some prescription bottles and perfumes.
The extremely rare red pieces, or "rubies" of the beach,
might come from perfume bottles, the tail lights on old automobiles, lantern and traffic light lenses, or even some types of old beer bottles, like the bottles made by Anchor Hocking.
Pinks, lavenders, purples, lime greens and other rare shades of came from things
like perfume bottles.

Greens, browns, and aquas come from beer and soda bottles, and nearly every other source, like Clorox Bleach jugs, shampoos, etc.
The glass is commonly found in lakes and beaches alike, where there was a lot of boat travel. Some glass have been found with impressions still in the glass, and some are more than 100 years old.


So with all of this said, I want to introduce my newest piece in my Island Dreams Collection. This necklace takes you to a distant time or place, where mermaids swim freely amongst the coral and fish. The color of this glass is just stunning. It is a breathtaking red with cultured freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystal. The chain is sterling silver and is approximately 17 1/2" long. There is no other like it, this is truly a one of a kind treasure from the sea. Visit my store and view this item and others like it.

And just a sneak at the next piece I am working on.....


**Information obtained from East Carolina University, Glass Beach Jewelry and Museum and Wikipedia Other facts and information was gathered from books loaned by the Klamath County Library.

Monday, July 13, 2009

There and Back

I have had such a whirlwind weekend I do not know if I am really back or just physically feeling the woes of vendor booth aftermath!

This past weekend I had a booth set up in Bend Oregon for the Bend Summer Festival. It was wonderful! Of course the weather did not make up its mind until after we left. On Saturday we had hot weather, over 90 from what I heard. And on Sunday there were winds and barely 68 degrees. I did have one of the best booth spots in terms of the light though. Ok, so the sun was a little warm about 4pm on Saturday, but it just made everything sparkle!

We had a fabulous time and now it is time unload the car and take inventory on what I have left. I know it's not much from when we were loading up it only took about 20 minutes instead of 60 minutes the previous night. A lighter load is always a good sign.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

A New Bead Stop in Town

Have you ever written a "How To" before? How to make cookies, or how to make earrings, or how to plant pea's in a peet pellet? Well, with kids in 5th and 6th grade, I have had a lot of experience in how to speeches. So when I was approached to do one for a website I thought it to be an easy task. I have to admit, making the item is so much easier than writing down step by step and remembering to take pictures at each step. But I managed. And I forwarded it to a person that has started a site that has a lot of these how to's for the rest of us.


The site is called My Beads Club. It just launched its opening two weeks ago with a bang! Click here to go directly to the site. These are some of the great opportunities you can enjoy with the membership:

Here`s what you can enjoy -

1. Unlimited access to bead patterns and make jewelry projects, View as many as you like, choose from over hundreds of patterns and videos for necklaces, bracelets, earrings, special occasions, wedding, and home ware. All projects are fully illustrated with step by step instructions providing you with all you need for years and years of making beaded jewelry. Once you get going there`s no limit to what you can make...

2. FREE "Funky Beads" book- when you sign up today, downloadable quickly with 20 unique jewelry making designs by up and coming NEW designers. Retail Price $19.99 (Lulu.com & Amazon.com)

3. GREAT discounts on our special monthly offers area.

4. FREE report on how to sell your jewelry for a profit. Do what you love to make lots of cash -dont miss this one !

5. Monthly competitions, enter your jewelry designs to win and show off your talent !

6. FREE Monthly Newsletter with expert tips, advice on making beaded jewelry and new finds, beading discounts and much more...

7. Each and EVERY month we will be adding more and more new and exciting designs for you to try for all levels of expertise.

8. Plus there`s more "how to make beaded jewelry" videos to watch, including lots more projects to try.

**Pictures shown are from mybeads.com. This is a glimpse of what is currently available.

So be sure to check out mybeadsclub.com and see what it's all about. Come back here and tell me what you think!

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