Tuesday 8 February 2011

New Year Starts Here! Part 2 of 2 (Post 28)

Welcome
I'd like to welcome Kathy from New Jersey an artistic lady, jewellery designer and a mother of 5 children who has a passion for precious silver and metal clay, gemstones and much much more!  Hope you are succesful in looking for your new job ... in the meantime, a big welcome to you. 

New Year Starts Here Part 2 of 2
To continue the 'sea' theme ... whilst enjoying a break I came across a shop in Grand Turk which was devoted to Sea Glass jewellery.  Now you can imagine, being the magpie that I am it immediately drew my interest.  There were some nice pieces and tucked away on one of the displays were little bags of Sea Glass.


I found it unbelievable that I had not come across this before, (although I do have a vague collection of seeing some in Greece, and collecting a few mini pieces?).  I say unbelievable, because I spent my childhood/early adulthood in Newquay, Cornwall - beaches galore!!  Yet ... never have I beachcombed.

On seeing the bagged up Sea Glass, I dithered - not quite convinced it was Sea Glass; as some people 'tumble' their own and sell it as Sea Glass.  Quite often not admitting it either!  So, it went through my head, 'how can there be so much Sea Glass, it must be faux Sea Glass'.  I was half way out the door when I just 'had to' have it or regret it.  I looked upon it as a challenge, with the thought I'd look for my own and compare it.

I purchased this bag and left with my treasures of the sea ... determined to follow through my challenge.

Unfortunately, we we're half-way through our holiday so time was not on our side ... but having a few other destinations left, my mission began.
And ... like a dog with a bone, I didn't give up.


Result ... a unique store of sea treasures and a lot of fun finding it!
Barbados had the largest amount and I soon came to realise, without a doubt, the treasure of Grand Turk was indeed very much 'real'.



I think this is going to have a big impact on me, and I am looking at ways that I can incorporate it into my jewellery.





For me, this marks a great start to the New Year and a new hobby - beachcombing!  I'm pretty sure that this will direct me into learning new techniques and I'm looking forward to the challenge it will bring.
I look forward to sharing my experiences with you.  You can expect to see silverwork, beaded work (that's another story), precious metal clay, Sea Glass, Gemstones and Polymer Clay ... to name but a few.  This Year is set to be a winner!

Did it compare with my little bag of treasure ... Yes, ten-fold.
Keep Watching ... and I'll Keep Blogging!

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9 comments:

  1. Colecting sea glass can be adictive! There is even a chart showing which colors are rarest! I get the kids to have a compatition to see who can find the nicest or the most sea glass works wonders at keeping them busy and builds up my colection!

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  2. Hi Niky, I can see how it can be addictive. I have found a Sea Glass chart, not sure if this was one that you had.

    http://www.odysseyseaglass.com/sea-glass-color-chart.html

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  3. This is were I found it....
    http://www.etsy.com/listing/46177748/sea-beach-glass-rarity-poster-color?ref=sr_list_1&ga_search_query=sea%2Bglass%2Bchart&ga_search_type=handmade

    Take a look at the shop, some great ideas for jewellery too!

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  4. Thanks Niky, some lovely jewellery, gets the creative juices flowing.

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  5. Who cares if it's real or faux - it's lovely!
    Hugs
    Ei
    x
    ps
    Thank you for visiting my little digi shop!

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  6. ..oh-oh! I just saw another post...Please don't tell me there's something else purty I can collect....!!!
    Ei
    x

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  7. Thank you for the warm welcome! Made my night!

    I have always been skeptical about sea glass and what it is, where it comes from, etc. I am starting to appreciate this material the more I see the beautiful jewelry that can be made and when it warms up, I'm heading down to the beach here to start searching!
    Kathy

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  8. I know Ei, there are some beautiful crafts and like you I can easily get side-tracked exploring them all.

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  9. Kathy, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. All glass is pretty, but there's just something about Sea Glass that fires the imagination. Trying to place how it got here, what the history is behind it etc. Good luck with the hunt - look forward to some future posts on your website.

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Thank you for reading my blog, I appreciate your feedback and look forward to your next visit.

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