By Joe Hicks
Image By Pete Godfrey
Discarded glassware tumbled and polished by the sea’s constant motion, creating smooth, colourful pebbles ready to be discovered by eager collectors. Just about any piece of glassware can be turned into seaglass with enough time.
We talked to Lorraine from Kernowcraft Jewellery, who specialise in using seaglass, to find out more about the appeal behind these diamonds in the rough. ‘There is a big interest in recycling and upcycling’ says Lorraine, ‘You walk on a beach, collect a piece of glass and that’s where it all started from … To make a memento of something you’ve found on holiday.’
Not all seaglass is created equal, ‘the most rare and popular is red seaglass’ says Lorraine. It’s by far the least abundant, and because of its darker colour it tends to lend itself to hiding in the sand.
Although it is worth trying your luck on any beach, certain factors make some beaches better than others. A beach with too far from human activity won’t collect much glass, whereas beaches on and in harbours can have whole troves of seaglass washing up fairly regularly. Lorraine herself recommends Pentewan, next to Mevagissey and just downcoast from St Austell, it’s been picking up any bottles from the St Austell brewery for decades and turning them into sea glass.
Another favourite pick was Mousehole harbour beach, right in the centre of the village, the beach is both beautiful and busy with activity, not the first choice when thinking of long sandy Cornish beaches, but perfect for beachcombing and collecting these small pieces of history.
When you arrive at your chosen hunting spot, try to look for white seaglass first, it’s the most common. It also helps to visit at low tide, when the sea has deposited the most debris and giving you the most amount of beach to scour. It also helps to visit after a storm or in winter; rough seas churn up the most seaglass, not to mention the beaches tend to be much quieter in winter!
If you live too far from a beach, or don’t like what seaglass has to offer, there are lots of equally sustainable alternatives for DIY jewellery. Fashion marketing student Mya Thorne says ‘Recycled glass bottles are a good alternative. Non-mined rocks are also an alternative. Nalu beads are an example as well. Sand beads made of sand and resin are a good opportunity for sustainability.’
It does seem like the skies the limit for what you can wear, particularly as the trend picks up steam. Mya encourages people to engage with sustainable jewellery, ‘It’s customisable, its meaningful and sentimental.’ It seems to me that rather spending large amounts of money for gemstones mined and processed abroad, often in poor conditions, why not consider giving a recycled alternative a try?
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