Rarity of Colors in Sea Glass Jewelry

Until recently, it was believed that jewelry found on the site of Enkapune Ya Muto in Kenya was the oldest jewelry discovered. The beads on this piece of jewelry date back almost 40,000 years and are made of polished ostrich egg shells. However, the oldest known jewelry ever discovered were 10,000-year-old beads crafted from Nassarius shells.


Sea glass has gained popularity, partly due to rarity and origin. Sea glass has existed since glass-making was first introduced, before 2000 B.C. in Mesopotamia, and can be found all over the world. In 2007, the North American Sea Glass Association became a formal organization and there are around 90 members today.

Sea Glass Colors and Rarity

There is a simple explanation for why certain sea glass colors are more valued than others. Sea glass rarity and value are tied to supply and demand. The rarer the glass color, the less of it that exists. The more plentiful the supply, the less status the color has on the sea glass rarity chart.


The color of sea glass is determined by its original source. Most sea glass comes from bottles, but it can also come from jars, plates, windows, windshields, ceramics or sea pottery. The subtle hues of blue, green, and aqua are often found in every 50 to 100 pieces of sea glass and are favorites for wedding jewelry.


Sea Glass comes in colors like red, black and lavender. Some colors are rarer than others and others were mass produced, making them no so rare. Sea Glass is often used in jewelry and is great for:

• Sea glass necklaces
• Sea glass anklets
• sea glass charms
• sea glass earring

The Rarest Colors of Sea Glass

Orange
Orange is a less common color of sea glass, found once in about 10,000 pieces making it rare. Orange was never a color that was mass produced so most orange sea glass is from decorative art glass, vases or tableware. A quality orange sea glass specimen, made into jewelry like sea glass earring can fetch as much as $650.


Turquoise
Turquoise is the second rarest sea glass color and the rarest type of blue sea glass. There was very little turquoise glass made and none was mass produced. Most of this color appeared in glasswares like candy dishes, vases, and some early seltzer bottles. Turquoise is highly prized by sea glass collectors and jewelers and is difficult to find.


Red
The third rarest color of sea glass is red. This highly sought after sea glass color was made more abundantly for tableware, some bottles, and red warning lights. At a recent auction, 40 very small, less than dime sized pieces of red sea glass sold for $300.

Pink
This color of sea glass has a limited availability, making it very rare. Pink sea glass was most used for Depression-era tableware. Most pink sea glass that we find today has a sunny pink hue and is derived from clear glass bottles made with selenium. A chemical reaction between the selenium and the ultraviolet rays of the sun, the clear glass ultimately but that turned a light pink/peach hue.


Sea glass can be found all over the world. The colors vary and some are rare while others are commonly seen. Sea Glass earring, necklace and bracelets gifts are great for a wedding. This glass jewelry is unique and is great to collect, give as a gift, or wear yourself.