It won't rhyme or even be in tune, but I'm having my own little "12 Days of Christmas" party over at my shop, Sea of Dreams.
Actually it's going to be "24 Days of Christmas" because I'm going to reduce the price on one item each day from now until Christmas Eve. Each day will feature a different item...but please be aware that items ordered the week before Christmas may not arrive in time for the big day.
So, here goes...
On the first day of Christmas
My true love gave to me...
If you are not familiar with sea glass, let me be the first to tell you all about it! Sea glass is the ultimate in recycling. As ships have sunk off the coasts of various countries and the glass in their cargo has broken, it then moves with the tides all throughout the world. Each piece of glass spends the next 50 to 100 years tumbling through surf and pounded against sand until it acquires the frosted finish and rounded edges prized by collectors.
I am lucky to live near the New Jersey coast and have collected the sea glass I use in my jewelry myself. The most common colors I find are white, brown and green. Prized colors are cobalt blue, pink, lavender, and red...usually found in Hawaii or around the Mediterranean Sea.
Do not be fooled by man made sea glass (faux sea glass) also known as beach glass. This is glass that has been created in a rock tumbler and can be purchased in bulk quantities. If you find lower priced jewelry that says it is sea glass but the glass is uniform in shape and color, it is probably not genuine sea glass.
The sea glass in these earrings was found over the course of about eight months. Each trip, I collect only sea glass that meets jewelry grade standards (easily 70% of what I find on the beach is not usable in my jewelry). Then each piece is rinsed off and sorted according to color, shape and size. To find two pieces that are similar in all three areas takes many visits to the beach and hours of sorting through all the glass I've collected.
It is rare to find sea glass this large. And I considered myself very lucky to find two pieces that were so nicely matched!
One interesting fact is that sea glass is very light-weight. These earrings, while large, are not heavy at all.
Which item from my shop will be featured for the Second Day of Christmas? Check back tomorrow!
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