Tumbled Tears..Glass, Years after being tumbled by the waves in Kauai


Have you ever wondered how seaglass is made to become something so gorgeous and valuable to beachcombers the world over??  How can what was once littered become a beautiful sea gem? a peice of art to be collected on the beach or shores of large lakes?


Lets go to the beaches of the garden isle of Kauai for some answers! Common to the locals are some very gorgeous beaches known as Glass Beaches....the concentration of glass on these beaches is amazing! My daughter Heather lives in Kauai , owner of Etsy store TumbledTears.  and beachcombing at these spots is one of her favorite past times.... 

 

Sea glass can be found in  wide range of colors from dark green, kelly green, aqua, turqoise, clear, cobalt, shades of blue, brown, red, orange and even some pastels.  Where do all these colors come from??  Since most "glass beaches" are the sites of "dumping" spots from long ago...like years! So old Heineken bottles, Rolling Rock bottles, Ball canning jars, wine and medicine bottles,  Coca Cola bottles, Phillips Milk of Magnesia, Noxema, Bromo Seltzer, and Alka Seltzer ,  old Clorox bottles, to Budweiser beer are to be held responsible for these now treasures... One of the most common sources for red glass was made by Anchor Hocking Glass Company for both decorative household items and the 1950’s Schlitz Beer bottle. Tableware, brake lights, and marine running lights were also orange and red in color.


Why the frosty appearance?  This is from the "hydration" process that happens in the ocean. Soda and lime found in the glass slowly leaches out from the continuous contact with the water. This causes a frosty appearance!


Sea glass is often called mermaid tears. The legend has it that when a mermaid weeps, her tears touch the sand and turn to glass :)  So thus the name "TumbledTears"....


These once rough jagged edged peices of glass have been tumbled to perfection by the powerful waves of the island...pounding for years against the reefs, rocks and sand to be recycled into beautiful bits of jewelry for you to enjoy today!


You dont have to live in Kauai to enjoy this beachcombing experience...any beach, bay or lake is a likely place to find these gems...peices of nostalgia...find it, examine it and wonder what it used to be :)


A few pix of Heather's beach days....with some fun visitors!

The artist with her friend Bob shortly before they both went for a swim together....oh the life!



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