A Day In The Life With BeachGemming

Today, let’s take a trip along the coast.  Doesn’t really matter which coast (I don’t think) but I believe you will find today’s trip very interesting, relaxing, and you may just find yourself with a new past time.  

Let me introduce you to BeachGemming. 

Enter BeachGemming's Shop

 Duuude:  How long have you been into collecting and selling beach glass? (I guess the correct term is “beach gemming”) 

Beach:  Our family has been collecting sea glass for about four years now. It came about when we visited a beach in Monterey, California. As we sat on the shore, we noticed people looking through the sand, picking through the rocks and seaweed. Curious, I sauntered over and found not just shells and the usual beachcomber fare, but glowing pieces of colored glass. My daughter and I started collecting the glass baubles and put those beach gems in a box. We’d add to our stash whenever we would visit various beaches along the bay. Thinking nothing more than a collection of “someone else’s trash” in the guise of lovely glowing colors, the box was put away in a closet.

Selling the beach glass came about as a fluke. While browsing through eBay I accidentally came across someone’s username with the term “seaglass.” It was then that we realized people were interested in these sea treasures. We decided to take the box out of the closet and sell a few beach gems to try out the waters. The venture proved to be a success on eBay and when someone introduced us to etsy we decided to concentrate our efforts there. Etsy’s artistic ambience was a better fit for our goals. Keeping jewelry artisans in mind, our eyes were focused on sea glass pieces that were smooth, with surf-tumbled edges; taking photographs became more creative for use in our card collections and prints.

Beach*gemming, and also our etsy shop name, is a term we have coined to describe the relaxing activity of collecting surf-tumbled sea glass from along our local beaches. Wave after wave continually uncover, weather and condition, multitudes of sea glass shards from decades past resulting in beautiful, multi-color, and collectible beach gems.

Duuude:  What inspired you get into beach glass and stones and gems? 
Beach:  The beauty of the beach glass and the history of Monterey Peninsula was an inspiration. Each time we discover a rare color such as red, orange, or yellow, we ask ourselves if the particular piece might have come from a lamp, dinner plate, or tea cup from pirate pillages of the 1800s or the canning industry in the 1900s. Finding frosty surf-tumbled marbles makes one ask if it possibly came from a child’s toy collection decades ago. Of course, I’m also a John Steinbeck fan, so it makes beachgemming even more special. He nicknamed Monterey Bay the “circle of enchantment.”

Looking at the lovely pieces of jewelry and mosaic art by talented artisans also inspires us to choose the best sea glass for our collection. There are pieces for those who prefer the more smooth texture for their refined jewelry projects or the rougher-edged gems for a more natural look.

Duuude:  Do you ever make anything with your wonderful finds? Can you supply us with a 
photo or two of your work area, and maybe a sample or two of your favorite 
items?
Beach:  Unfortunately, we don’t make a lot from what we find. We leave that to the multi-talented artisans on etsy. Our teen daughter might make a few pendants or bookmarks when she’s not busy studying, or when she needs a few extra dollars in her wallet. I make blank cards and prints from photos of our favorite beach gem collections. 

Duuude:  Do you do any additional “tumbling” with your gems and stones? Or do you just keep them as you find them? If you do tumble, can you share a bit about the process? I’m very intrigued and I live here on the west coast too.
Beach:  All of our sea glass is naturally surf-tumbled. Most of our customers prefer genuine, surf-tumbled beach gems. 
Duuude:  Where do you sell your items?

Beach:  etsy; sometimes on eBay.

Duuude:  Anything else you'd like us to know?  
Beach:  Besides collecting sea glass for business purposes, I would recommend beachgemming as a time to relax, alone or with family or friends. Searching the shores of our local beaches for these treasured gems can be fun and the financial rewards, on some occasions, can be plentiful, but taking the time to enjoy the warmth of the sun, the picturesque views of the sunrise, the sounds of the surf, and seeing a mother sea lion teaching her pup how to swim, is even more gratifying. I always remind myself, “Don’t forget to look UP!” And, please do not turn your back towards the water when you’re collecting sea glass…you’ll remain mostly dry that way! And, if you want to get your calves toned, wear high-heeled boots…not leather ones, though. I’ve had to throw away a perfectly good pair because they got soaked through and through. Sometimes, there are sacrifices that must be made for a perfectly good piece of sea glass! Enjoy!

This is her work area ~ I think I want one of these too!  

You can follow BeachGemming on Facebook and Twitter.   

facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/home.php#!/BeachGemming2

twitter twitter.com/beachgemming

Thanks for sharing with us a little bit about beachgemming.  And now, I think I want to find a nice quiet place along our So California coast and relax.  

Until next week …

Duuude!