Originally published in Seven Mile Times Memorial Day 2018 Issue The sea does not reward those w h o a re t o o a n x i o u s , too greedy, or too i m pa t i e n t . . . .
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Sea Glass:
Tiny Treasures Of T he Sea By Dr. Lenore Tedesco, Executive Director of The Wetlands Institute
or more than 600 years, ocean pirates have been recorded in history as treasure-chasers. I like to think of sea glass as a tiny treasure of the sea. Not only can it be beautiful, it has a story to tell. Folks who know the nature of sea glass feel that it takes at least 50 years of tumbling in the ocean and tossing in the waves for sea glass to develop a really good, natural time-worn texture. When you pick up an interesting piece of sea glass, it begs you to contemplate its journey before it washed up on the shore and you found it (or did it find you?). Sea glass can originate from bottles (including antique vessels from beverages, medicines, perfumes and other
beauty products), and also from items such as marbles, dishes, windows, and ornamental items. Essentially anything made of glass that finds its way into the ocean and onto our beaches can become sea glass. The process of wearing down sharp glass and acquiring the matte finish takes decades. It is a result of the physical wear and tear of ocean waves tumbling and grinding the glass, as well as sandblasting as the glass gets buried in the sand and uncovered repeatedly throughout its journey. In addition to this physical weathering of the glass, there also is a component of chemical weathering caused by the seawater itself. Of course, glass is made in a wide variety of colors. But the most common colors of sea glass to find are greens,
Various pieces of sea glass found on local beaches. Memorial Day 2018
browns and clear, due to the fact that more beverages were bottled in those colors. This makes other glass colors rarer if you are lucky enough to discover them – especially blue, red, purple or black. Most pieces of sea glass you pick up have no markings. But some items you find on the beach do reveal a bit of their history. Bottles or other items might still show embossed or printed letters or numbers that can help to identify their sources. These can be clues to how old an item is, what company produced it, and maybe even a specific region where it was made. In addition to sea glass, you might also find other sea treasures along the shore, such as pottery shards or antique toys. The red and white pottery shard is
a piece of Transferware that I found on a beach in Cape May. Based on the shape, it was likely part of a dinner plate. This type of pottery was actually made by printing a design onto tissue paper, then transferring that pattern onto the pottery. Transferware was produced in many colors, predominantly in shades of blue, green, red and black. Most Transferware was made in England and was a very trendy style of pottery in the 1800s, becoming especially popular for use in the U.S. in the 1830s. Finding this piece made me very curious about its history. Exactly where did this particular item originate? What route did it travel to get to the spot where I picked it up, and how long did it take it to get here? Did it travel across the ocean from some other state, or even from Europe? Perhaps it was dinnerware purchased from England by one of the historic inns of Cape May, and then washed out to sea during a storm. Maybe it was taken from an inn to the beach by a couple enjoying an evening stroll on the boardwalk. It’s up to your imagine to decide. Is it likely that your average piece of glass or pottery shard has monetary value? Most often the answer will be no. But value, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Maybe you just like the color of a piece of glass or the way it reflects the light. Maybe it’s the feel of the surfworn texture of it in your hand. Perhaps you display it in your home, and seeing it reminds you of the summer fun you enjoy on your visits to the shore. If you are crafty (or have crafty friends), you can even turn your found treasure into a WWW.SEVENMILETIMES.COM