Goodie Goodie SEA GLASS gumdrops! This is what the BEACH GLASS looks like tucked in every nook and cranny of sand, coral and rock of Okinawa, Japan. Beautiful, sugary chunks of eye candy.
Each and every SEA GLASS fragment is razzle dazzle frosted seaglass-el .
On our vacation from Sanibel Island, Florida to Okinawa, Japan… we were not disappointed one moment on our beach combing adventure looking for different types of seashells and BEACH BLING. Each day we discovered something new.
I don’t think I’ve been more excited about any beach find than when I found a SEA MARBLE in my favorite color in the world… aqua.
(okay, maybe that’s stretching that- I actually cried when I found my JUNONIA in 2011– but still)
Look at this Marble-ous gem!
You think I was happy when I found this cool pitted CAT’S EYE SEA MARBLE too? lol
How do SEA MARBLES form? Most of the time they start out as a real marble or round glass ball. There are different theories to answer why they washed up on the beach and the first one is the most logical… kids playing with marbles on the beach years ago. But there are way too many rolling in around the world’s beaches for it just to be child’s play. Some SEA MARBLES are from a Japanese glass bottle called Remune that used a marble as a stopper so when the bottle was discarded, the marble ended up in the ocean. Cargo ships used to use marbles as an inexpensive way to redistribute weight to provide stability so I’m sure many times they were dumped overboard. Painters used to use marbles in paint cans to mix the paint so if you think about how much “battle ship gray” paint was constantly used on all those ships, of course they’d end up losing their marbles.
So we got a little carried away collecting just the shades of blues and greens but I couldn’t believe the different colors of turquoise, aqua, teal, soft blue, lime green, forest green, jade and even the clear glass was so beautiful. These were mostly fragments of old bottles but a few look like shards of old glass tableware, art glass or even insulators that have been tumbled in the salty ocean for decades to become sugary smooth.
These next pieces are from the bottom or base of glass bottles. I even found one rare pink piece of SEA GLASS!
These are fragments of old glass bottle lips.
These curled SEA GLASS pieces are shards from the old bottle necks.
I even found shards of flat SEA GLASS that was etched.. maybe from a privacy glass window etched by an artist.
We found 2 very cool pieces that have formed round balls that kick-up in the middle of the glass like a button. I had an idea what they were but couldn’t be sure until I found a sea glass gal on Instagram@beachbitchseaglass who verified that they were big SEA GLASS hunks of JAPANESE GLASS FLOATS. Oh yaya- Thank you! That’s “Glasstounding” (heehee). Before we left for Japan, both Clark and I were hoping to find one of those Japanese GLASS FLOATS washed up on the beach. A float would awesome BEACH BLING but finding these GLASS FLOAT chunks that have been broken, tumbled then smoothed by the sea for years and years… are very special to us. Of course I think mine (the bigger brighter one on the left) is cooler and Clark thinks his (the smaller darker one… that does have a way cool formed ball) is cooler. hahaha
If each piece of BEACH GLASS could talk, I’m sure the stories would be … wait for it… Glasstonishing. (hee hee)
Any way you look at it, i Love Seaglass!
See the rest of the story, photos, seashell and more info on this trip here…
Our Exshellent Beach Combing Adventure to Okinawa Japan– http://www.iloveshelling.com/blog/2015/06/19/our-exshellent-beach-combing-adventure-in-okinawa-japan/
Indo Pacific Seashells Of Okinawa Japan– http://www.iloveshelling.com/blog/2015/06/24/indo-pacific-seashells-of-okinawa-japan/
Gone Extreme Beach Combing- Across the World– http://www.iloveshelling.com/blog/2015/06/15/gone-extreme-she…across-the-world/
If you want to know more about SEA GLASS, I also found lots of good info in Pure Sea Glass Identification Deck
Join me on a Shelling Trip! For more info CLICK HERE
What a great experience and what wonderful finds!!! I know you will enjoy those goodies!
Sue Billings
Amazing! Just amazing Pam! I sure hope to travel as you have one day! :)
What a fantastic trip! You found such great treasures!
Just for fun info, marbles were also used by railroads.
http://www.railroadiana.org/hw/pgMarbles.php
Marbles are my favorite sea glass find. I find most of them At glass beach at Ft Bragg, CA.
~Karen
Ha! And the railroads used them too, huh? Its so much fun to learn this stuff- thank you for sending the link too! and ooh- one day we hope to make it out to ft bragg. fingers crossed
You will go crazy when you get to Glass Beach at Ft Bragg! I’m sure you’ve seen the beautiful photos on the web.I have to allow at least a week when I get there. :) You should also go to Davenport, CA and Sand City beach near Monterrey, They are all great for sea glass and sea pottery
~Karen.
I am here in Okinawa now and I love it so much. It’s a special place for sure. Have you been back at all since this trip?
Lovely treasures, Pam! The seaglass bug has got you now… Thanks for sharing your adventures with us.
Ann, you pegged it- I really do have the seaglass bug! Im itching to find more :)
We are enjoying all of your posts and pictures from your amazing trip to Okinawa. Your sea glass is beautiful, especially the marbles. It must be so exciting finding the glass since it’s not something you see on Sanibel.
HI Sue- Exactly- its always fun to find something different!
I love Seaglass too, never get tired of searching for it, your seaglass is beautiful and I love the marbles
You are killing me with all these pixs of seaglass……………envious!!
I loved this post and seeing your photographs of the amazing gorgeous sea glass marbles and treasures you guys found. What a fantastic adventure, Congrats on all that sea glass!
I found a cat’s eye seaglass marble on Nevis a few years ago; I gave it (and a selection of other cool seaglass pieces) to a little girl who is the daughter of someone who worked with my husband then.
She was totally thrilled.
There are some places in the world where sea glass is common; usually where the remains of old settlements are washing into the sea.
Hi Pam! Beautiful sea glass! What intrigues me is how you and Clark manage to get all your shells and other treasures home- as I recall you wrote that you only take carry-on luggage, no checked bags. You guys must have refined travelling light to new heights! I have taken carry-on luggage only to Sanibel (only 4 more days and we’ll be there, sooo excited) and was challenged. Can’t imagine how you manage on a trip to Okinawa.
Pam, I loved this sea glass post! I have a dear friend who has a beach house that
she named Sea Glass Cottage. Each room is painted a soft sea glass color and has bowls of “purchased” sea glass. Not the same as your beautiful collection, but pretty all the same. And of course, I loved Buzz on your shoulder!
Thank you so much Pam, lots of our BEACH BUCKET LISTS now include OKINAWA:)
Meanwhile, Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium’s newborn Manta Rays are featured online on a great new PBS program called OPERATION WILD, episode 1….
Enjoy!!
Shellotte
WOW! I’d think you’d have to have suspenders on your pants to keep them from falling down while you were pocketing all that glass!!!
Pam, my dad fought in the battle for Okinawa in WWII. So lucky that you got to visit there and get all that beautiful glass. I just love all the colors………….the shades of blue and green……………….
After we got back and started talking about Okinawa, we have a few friends that were there just after the war. They talk about it like it was yesterday. And that’s I think why most Americans go there- military service. I hope he got to experience the island while he was there. thank u for sharing. :)
Which beach was this in Okinawa?