Last week I did a live feed and article that discussed a recurring issue we deal with too often in the beachcombing community: fake sea glass. I’ve written about it time and again over the years with various angles and focus. It’s niche, but in our corner of the world, it basically comes down to the difference between diamonds and cubic zirconia.
It could be seen as obvious that enthusiasts would care about the difference between Prada and nada, right? It’s not always that simple. There are sea glass “purists,” of which I’m one, someone who trained for years under the author of Pure Sea Glass, who founded a national nonprofit dedicated to genuine sea glass. On the other hand, some people just like pretty sea glass and don’t care much about where it comes from. On that same side are unscrupulous individuals who take pretty glass (possibly a paperweight bought for $1 at a thrift store, or found for nothing at a glass dump) and, through the magic and wonder of cement mixers, make it look like sea glass and then charge money for it when in fact the only time it’s spent in the ocean, if any, was the time pretending to “find” it for a social media post in order to cash in for often up to $1000.
Industry jewelers need raw material for their work. While an elite, hardworking percentage of them hunt for and use their own sea glass, it makes sense that the majority, due to geography or time constraints, are forced to purchase glass from beachcombers. Jewelers who happen to be sea glass purists will purchase from individuals who hunt their own glass to be sure the glass is genuine.
What is genuine glass? Genuine sea glass is broken glass from bottles, jars, tableware, or shipwrecks that’s been wave-worn by the natural movement of the ocean, sand, and rocks. Over time, this process rounds the sharp edges and gives the glass a distinctive textured surface. Genuine sea glass should be discovered in the body of water where it was discarded, as its “provenance” is important due to the increased instances of “seeding” over time in which beachcombers artificially place or “seed” various forms of glass into a body of water to “find” it later.
This “Easter egg” approach removes important historical context from the finds, is illegal littering of a body of water, and potentially creates broken-glass hazards for children and pets on beaches. The controversial practice designed to “seed sea glass for future generations” is selfish, short-sighted, and environmentally unsound.
Areas of the west coast and northeast U.S. coast are notable for the highly unusual fake sea glass finds, notable large marble hauls etc., placed there by beachcombers to be discovered only by themselves. What does this mean for the consumer at a sea glass festival? In the past week since I published my article, I’ve had discussions with many friends in the industry: festival owners, passionate enthusiasts, jewelers.
I also heard some criticism that there’s a perception I could potentially hurt jewelry sales with my over-concern about fake glass at shows; apparently a rumor got around that I said in a lecture that 75 percent of jewelers at a show were selling fake glass. In fact, I’d stated that 75 percent of sea glass sold on eBay is fake. In the past 10 years I’ve done live feeds at festivals promoting the sea glass jewelry and its talented artisans, visiting booths filming business cards and showing the work of these vendors that’s often translated to sales for them, increased social media presence etc and I love many of them and their work, wearing it constantly.
I’m proud of the work I’ve done in the industry regardless of the senseless controversy that’s occurred, like when I was removed from the board after writing an article exposing the fake glass being sold at the national show. My upcoming book premiering at a festival next year is filled with stores from this often-tumultuous industry. But there are more good apples than bad. The jewelers and artisans who fight to collect the best hand-beachcombed genuine sea glass from around the world, setting it in unique designs, are so interesting to experience. The hunters who comb real Victorian coastal dump shorelines and find magical treasures are fun to learn from and follow.
It’s an engaging, joyful community for the most part, and being distracted by social media drama or the few unscrupulous scammers out there would be counterintuitive to a common hobby that brings so much joy to so many. But many passionate enthusiasts who care about sea glass want to know the difference between genuine and fake when making a purchase at a festival or online. I’ve heard of people keeping a separate jar of “fakes” so they don’t “contaminate” their genuine glass.
And there’s nothing worse than the countless times I’ve had to tell someone they’ve purchased a fake they were told was genuine. There’s no magical Narnia beach turning out rare colors and constant giant rare color boulders. That’s just someone staging fraudulent finds (just at the wave’s edge!) straight out of their Willy Wonka cement mixer fake glass factory.
So what’s the solution? We have a “buyer beware” situation. I’m always happy to review photos, though the best way to ID fake glass is in person. There are signs, and reputation of the seller is only one of them. Manufacturers have gotten better over the years at making the fakes look real, and being a charming salesman to make the sale. Online they’re often very defensive or combative when fakes are brought up; as my mentor once told me: “the guilty dog barks loudest.”
Some people just don’t care if it’s fake. They want to post giant cylinders of perfectly round apple-sized seaglass boulders in every color of the rainbow they paid hundreds of dollars each for, and don’t really want to talk about the history or provenance of where such Alice in Wonderland faux baubles originated. It’s an art display. Art appreciation is in the eye of the beholder, which would be fine if those items had been sold to them as “eco-friendly glass orb” or whatever other sketchy terms they’re using these days for fake glass (upcycled, “cultured” for crying out loud). But call a spade a spade.
Maybe we issue “certificates of authenticity” at a festival, as we did one year, to vendors who hand-beachcomb their own materials, purchase from beachcombers directly, or are guaranteed to be selling only genuine glass. It’s in the interest of a jeweler, for example, selling a pair of genuine cobalt blue earrings for $100 at a festival not have a vendor next to them selling fake blue glass earrings for $25. A gem show wouldn’t allow cubic zirconia sales to threaten the sales of genuine diamonds.
Those of us who love walks on the beach and discovering a beautiful piece of glass as a keepsake treasure know what’s real and what’s not. When I search for hours to supply the beachcombing table at shows and get to experience an enthusiastic kid learning about identifying sea glass or a woman in a wheelchair thanking me because she hasn’t been able to comb a beach in years, these are moments that make all the adversity worth it.
Maybe some venues don’t want to be bothered trying to detangle the complicated issues around genuine vs fake glass, but in the past week I’ve been very honored to hear the renewed commitment of certain festivals to providing genuine sea glass and an educational experience for attendees. Even in semi-retirement and although I still haven’t managed to receive an adorable “sea glass police” uniform with matching stripper heels, I look forward to visiting industry events that care about the difference, promote what’s real, prevent people from getting ripped off by scammers, and remain dedicated to continuing to educate community members and share a joy and love for our unique passion and hobby.