Coke Bottle Seaglass

It's so exciting to find well weathered seaglass that still has the characteristics to be identified as what it used to be! For that, I love coke bottles. Though the colors of coke bottle changed over decades from clear to seafoam with blue or greenish tinge, their ribbed surface are unmistakable. I've found a couple of ribbed pieces that I could put my finger on immediately, other well weathered pieces blew their cover as well because of that unique color!

Have a look through your stash again and watch out for it - anything looks familiar?

Merry Christmas!

Christmasy jewelry and charms - fun to make and wear, but would you wear it all year round? Here's my idea of a versatile pair of Christmas trees earrings: you could wear the posts and 'trees' separately after Christmas! These will become a pair of star posts, and another pair of 'water droplets' dangles if worn with another pair of posts!

I love to make balls of seaglass in many color combination - these holly and mistletoe balls are especially lovely. Use them as cellphone or handbag charm, cute all year round!

Seaglass Clusters

Seaglass tinies, in many different colors...so pretty like little flowers! Inspired by the flower hydrangea, I have made balls of seaglass with different colors. All shades of blue like the sea on a calm sunny day...light blue and green in colors of the seafoam waves...teal, honey and amber in colors of the temperate forest in autumn...in any color combination I could think of!

I am collecting even small seaglass to make some cluster earrings and rings too!

Christmas SALE

This year I'm starting early - Christmas sale for the whole of November and December! Thanks to the very efficient Hong Kong post office - it usually took ~1 week for my items to reach almost all international destinations! So if you have your eyes on anything, start grabbing now to guaranteed everyone get their presents before the big day!

There are still room for discount in most of my jewelry - afterall, the satisfaction is not entirely monetary! But some item prices are so low that if still no one's buying, there must be something wrong with the style/design! I will know which are the unpopular ones by the end of this shopping season!

I have been making all kinds of different styles and designs, providing a wide range of choices for anyone who care to stop by my little seaglass corner. But it is always difficult for me to design men's jewelry - would men voluntarily wear jewelry, or made to do so by their girl friends/spouses?

Happy Christmas shopping!

Rainbow, anyone?

My favorite beach has been very generous to me. It has given me seaglass of all the colors of the rainbow, and much more! Believe it or not, I have actually found more than 20 different colors on this fantastic beach!

Unlike beaches in North America, lavender is the rarest color here. But I seem to find more turquoise than my jealous American friends, LOL! Have you wondered about those seaglass in my front page? You bet they are authentic, I found each and every piece!

I have made 'rainbow themed' jewelry from some of these colorful seaglass. Though I really had a hard time parting with these jewelry, it is my greatest satisfaction to know that somewhere in the world, someone will always treasure and wear them proudly!

The Amazing Sanddollar from the Ocean Beach, San Francisco

Many beachcombing friends agreed that their trips to the beach are actually walking meditations. Our hearts are open to nature, our minds cleared of all thoughts and therefore more creative and receptive. Walking the beach has healing effects for those who have lost love ones or experience major life changes. Here is my own experience that convinced me there is really a greater presence.

It happened in the summer of 2000, when I attended a 3-months training course in San Francisco, far away from my home in Hong Kong. My husband and two kids (5 months and 2 1/2 years old then) did not come along. During those 3 months abroad, I had a very disturbing thought that a serious accident might happen such that I may not seen my family again. I kept that thought at the back of my mind while I reason with myself that it shouldn't happen.

One Saturday afternoon, I went to the Ocean Beach. It's very windy and the waves were high and freezing. I found no sea glass but lots and lots of broken sanddollars littered the shore. Sanddollars are something I've never seen on the beaches of Hong Kong, so I decided to collect a complete specimen to show my kids. But I walked the vast beach for a long long time in vain. Then I decided to leave. Strange that my legs carried me not to the main road, but towards the steep sand dune, which is more than 20ft high. I started to climb, slipping and sliding back many times, but I kept going. When I finally reached the top huffing and puffing, the first thing I saw was a sanddollar half burried in the sand!

Immediately, even before I took it out of the sand, I knew it's a complete specimen. I scooped it from the sand and couldn't control my joy, I praised out loud " Thank you Lord!"It's so strange for that sanddollar to be there on top of the sandy bluff 20 feet from sea-level and more than 200 ft from the shoreline!From that moment on, I knew He's with me all the time. He knew about my worries, what I'm looking for, and He provided when I let Him lead me. My secret worry of an accident just vanished!

The next day, I returned to the same beach again. The wind was low and the waves were calm. There were thousands of unbroken sanddollars all over the beach! Just a day ago, it's so difficult to find just one! I took this as reassurance from Him: " Follow me and I will make you bountiful!" Some friends said it's mere coincidence, but my family and some close friends agreed with me that it's a miracle.

Now, whenever life is hard on me, I would recall this and be fully charged again. I believe if you pause and listen, He is there for you too.

English Seaglass

I love the seaglass that I've collected from my favorite local beaches, but I have fallen desparately in love with the English sea glass multies. For thousands of local seaglass I've collected, I could find maybe one piece with two colors in it, being a marble fragment or flash glass. But English seaglass multies have many colors in stripes, layers and swirls! And hard to find colors like red, yellow and purple in the same piece as well!

I used to sit on my hands whenever I saw the English seaglass auctions on ebay, telling myself one day I'll find something like that. But my yearning have become so intense I could bear no more. I striked out and won some. When I scoped my hands at the hard earned bounty, I never felt better! English seaglass is the best seaglass, I still can't get enough! But oh yes, seaglassing at the local beaches is still very enjoyable and I still find lots of good glass. Buying seaglass will never take away the fun of finding my own seaglass!

Knitting Wire

I fell in love with knitting wire! Well, not the ordinary metal wire that left my fingers frayed and bleeding, but the nylon coated sterling silver / stainless steel cable that is smooth, flexible and durable! Infinite possibilities and combinations sprout from my imagination! Subtle rainbow, calm ocean, classy pearls and vibrant sea, I work in frenzy to bring them into reality! Drilled or not drilled, you could still knit them in either way! Beads or shells, gemstones, crystals or seaglass, knit them all in!

Simpicity

The simpler, the better - my latest concept.

The unique shapes and beauty of seaglass need only the simplest designs. Sometimes there are seaglass with such character and charm that they need only the simplest designs to become most impressive. For example, the seaglass key that needed only a key ring bail to become a stunning necklace. Or the sweet seaglass bubbles that needed only sterling posts to become exceptional earrings. And the rare turquoise seaglass that needed only to be side-drilled to become a breath-taking invisible necklace.

Each piece of seaglass 'talked' to me before I transformed them into unique jewelry. Some begged not to be drilled, some needed to be drilled to release their potentials; some boasted characters and prefered solitaire, others opted to hang around with peers. How I wish I have all the time in the world to listen!

Seaglass Collectors

I have almost neglected my blog here since I joined the seaglasslovers community at ning.com. I am so at home amongst seaglass lovers and collectors all over the world, as much addicted to the hobby as I am. My beachcombing behavior is no longer odd: there are indeed thousands who beachcomb under more extreme conditions!
We show off our best finds and admire each other's collections, put in our two cents' worth in identifying odd beachcombed objects, exchange seaglass philosophy, and found strong bonding in our friendships.

Also a member of the seaglass collectors and seaglass artists, I have found great joy in viewing and admiring seaglass creations of many great artists. Posting my own creations there, I am overjoyed to received genuine approval and encouragement! Without the aggression or competition of a commercial site, here is a perfect place where artists gather and exchange ideas and skills.

Now, logging onto these sites has become one of the most important thing for me everyday!

Miniature Bottles

I have just discovered the beauty of miniature glass bottles, filled to the brim with teenie tiny sea glass or seashells! Working from the brilliant idea of a customer and after some experiments, I have made unique removable stoppers for these bottles using Swarovski crystal beads, pins and small pieces of rubber. These are more elegant and different from bead cap decorated corks! These bottles could be pendants, earrings, cellphone charms, suncatchers...anywhere you could dangle something pretty!

Drilling Glass

I have been asked many a time about how to drill glass. Actually I was self taught and by no mean an expert, but here’s a step by step account of how I do it, and some tips on how to do it well!

Equipments:
1. Electric Drill and drill bits

To begin with, you will need a drill. I use a hand-held electric drill which I bought from a local hardware store. It’s light-weight and easy to use.

The drill bits should not be made of just any metal, but should be hard enough to cut through glass. Otherwise, you may just scratch the surface. Drilling on with force will just crack the glass.
I use diamond coated drill bits in several different sizes, all bought from ebay (just search 'diamond coated drill bits’ and you will have a variety of suppliers). I was told that aluminium carbide drill bits could cut glass as well. I tried, but learned the hard way that it did not.

2. Work surface

You will need something to support the glass. Like it or not, once the drill bit got through the glass, it would mark your work surface. If you don’t want dimples all over your workbench, place a wooden board underneath the glass. A board made of pine wood is soft enough for the drill bit to penetrate and perfect as a shock absorbent. A metallic surface is too hard and will always break the drill bit. A plastic surface is not good either: bits of plastic will melt and stick onto the hot drill bit.

3. Fix the glass in position before drilling

Fix the piece of glass firmly before you start drilling. Use the drill bit obliquely to make a nick first so that the drill bit won't slip. Then drill vertical to the glass surface. It’ll be great to have a device to clamp it down, holding it firmly with the other hand is good enough for me.

4. Water

While drilling, always keep the drill bit and glass wet. This will keep the temperature down and also lubricate the drilling. If the drill bit become dry but you kept on drilling, it will get stuck to the glass and eventually break or the glass will crack. always keep a spray bottle handy.

TIPS:
1. Clean cut edges on both sides of the hole

If you drill on through the glass from just one direction, the edge of the hole on the other surface will be rugged. Why? This is what happens: the glass over the drill bit become so thin that it cracks when the bit is about to emerge.

To make a hole with clean-cut edges on both surfaces, you will need to drill from both sides of the glass. I know there are expensive commercial drills that approach a gemstone or pearl simultaneously from both ends, it is slightly clumsier but not impossible with a hand-held drill.

I start drilling from one side, and stop from time to time to check the depth of the drill bit. When it’s about 1mm from the other surface, I flip the glass over, hold it to the light to see the tip of the hollow track. Make a mark, aim, drill and finish off. When the drill bit is about to emerge, you will hear a difference in the 'whirring' sound.

2. If you don't want your glass to crack

To avoid cracking your precious piece of sea glass, remember to well support its underside. DO NOT drill from its convex side and leave the hollow without supported: it’s bound to crack that way. Always drill from the concave side.

3. Clean the drill bit

During and after drilling, the drill bit will be covered with a white paste, which is wet, powdered glass. To keep your drill bit sharp, brush this off in water from time to time.

4. Enlarging the hole

What if you need a hole larger than any of your drill bits? Hold the glass firmly, press the drill bit firm against the 'wall' of the hole and move it around and and around, enlarging the hole to the right size.

5. Clean and oil your piece with olive oil to bring out its true color. It's done!

So you’re all set to go! Thanks for reading through. I welcome all comments and questions!