Sea Glass - finding it and using it in silver clay jewellery

Sea Glass - finding it and using it in silver clay jewellery

Finding the Sea: A Guide to Locating and Crafting with Sea Glass for Silver Clay Jewellery

There's something magical about sea glass. Those smooth, frosted nuggets, tumbled and refined by the relentless energy of the ocean, have a captivating allure. More than just pretty stones, they're tangible connections to history, each shard telling a story of its former life – a medicine bottle from Victorian England, a perfume flask from the roaring twenties, or even a humble beer bottle from a beach bonfire.

For years, many of us at Louise Anne Designs have been drawn to this coastal treasure. There's an immense satisfaction in combing the shoreline, the anticipation building with every step, the thrill when that first flash of seafoam green or deep sapphire catches your eye. But for a jewellery artist, the real magic lies in what comes next: transforming these found treasures into wearable art.

That’s where metal clay comes in. This remarkable material opens up a world of possibilities for incorporating found objects like sea glass into your jewellery designs. If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to capture the spirit of the sea and hold it in a handcrafted piece of silver jewellery, then this guide is for you. We’ll cover everything from becoming a masterful sea glass hunter to mastering the techniques for setting these precious gems in silver clay.

Part 1: The Art of the Hunt – Finding Your Sea Glass Treasures

Before you can create, you must collect. And finding sea glass is, for many of us, as much about the journey as the destination. Here’s how to up your sea glass hunting game:

Location, Location, Location

Not all beaches are created equal when it comes to sea glass. Look for beaches with a history of human activity, but also those that are actively reworked by the waves.

  • "Dirty Beaches" are Your Friend: Think beyond pristine, sandy stretches. Sea

    glass is essentially human waste that’s been refined by the ocean. Beaches near old harbours, Victorian seaside towns, historical shipping lanes, or even areas that once had glass factories (like the iconic Seaham in County Durham) are prime sea glass territory. The key is to look for shingle or pebbly beaches. Sand often buries the smaller, more elusive pieces.

  • Tides and Timing are Everything: The best time to hunt is almost always low tide, specifically after a storm. Storms churn up the seabed, bringing new material to the shore. A retreating tide, particularly a spring tide (the exceptionally high and low tides that occur twice a month), will often expose sea glass that’s been hidden for weeks or even months. Check your local tide tables and plan your trip accordingly.

Developing Your Sea Glass Eye

Finding sea glass is a skill that takes patience and practice. Here's what to look for:

  • The Tell-Tale Frost: Authentically surf-tumbled sea glass has a distinct, matte, frosted appearance. This frosting is caused by hydration – a chemical reaction between the glass and the saltwater over decades. It's not shiny like a freshly broken piece of glass, nor is it sharp to the touch. The texture should be smooth and tactile.

  • Beyond the Greens and Browns: While green and brown shards are the most common (think old beer, wine, and medicine bottles), the real prizes are the rarer colors. Keep an eye out for:

  • Aqua and Seafoam Green: A classic, relatively common find, often from old Coca-Cola or soda bottles.

  • Amber and Honey: From medicine and spirit bottles.

  • Cobalt Blue: Highly sought-after, originally from poison bottles, medicine containers (like Vicks VapoRub), or cosmetic jars.

  • Lavender and Purple: The rarest of them all! This color often comes from clear glass that contained manganese, which was used to clarify the glass. Over decades of exposure to UV light from the sun, the manganese oxidises, turning the glass a lavender hue.

Mindful Collecting

A good sea glass hunter is also a responsible steward of the beach.

  • Collect ONLY what is "Cooked": Sea glass that is still sharp or shiny is known as "uncooked" or "raw" glass. It hasn't spent enough time in the ocean to be safely or beautifully incorporated into jewellery. Leave these pieces – they need more tumbling in nature’s own rock tumbler.

  • Combine Hunting with Clean-Up: Bring a bag to collect plastic, litter, and sharp glass alongside your sea glass finds. It’s a wonderful way to give back to the very environment that provides your creative materials.

  • Know the Rules: While collecting small amounts for personal use is generally accepted on most UK beaches, some sites are protected, or collecting large quantities might be restricted. Always check local signage and regulations.

Part 2: Prepping Your Treasures for their Silver Setting

You’ve returned with your bounty, your hands slightly sandy and your spirit full of the sea. What now? Before you can introduce your sea glass to silver clay, you need to prepare it.

  1. The Great Clean: Soak your found treasures in warm, soapy water to remove any

    lingering salt, sand, or ocean residue. A gentle scrub with an old toothbrush can help, but be careful not to scratch the smooth surface. Let the glass dry completely.

  2. The Sorting and Selecting: This is where you get to play curator! Lay out your dried finds on a white cloth and categorize them by color and, crucially, by shape and size.

  • Perfect Imperfections: Look for pieces that have interesting, flat back surfaces or "cabochon" shapes. These will be much easier to set.

  • Thickness Matters: For beginners in silver clay, thinner, flatter pieces are generally easier to work with than thick, domed pieces.

  1. To Drill or Not to Drill? If you have your heart set on making a simple, drilled sea glass pendant, you will need to drill a hole using a diamond-tipped drill bit and a hobby drill like a Dremel. This is a separate skill in itself, often done with the glass submerged in a little water to prevent it from overheating and cracking.

For this guide, we are focusing on setting the sea glass in silver clay without drilling it, a method that captures and showcases the stone beautifully.

Part 3: The Silver Clay Magic – Setting Your Sea Glass

Silver clay consists of tiny, microscopic particles of pure fine silver (99.9% silver) mixed with a non-toxic organic binder and water. It behaves much like modeling clay, allowing you to sculpt, shape, texture, and yes, set stones, before firing.

Why "Set" Over "Paste"?

You might be tempted to simply use silver clay paste (a more liquid version of the clay) to "glue" the glass onto your silver piece. While this might work initially, it’s not a secure or durable method. The real art, and the method we champion, involves creating a secure mechanical setting that holds the glass firmly in place without adhesives.

We will focus on the Bezel Setting and Prong Setting techniques, both of which work beautifully with silver clay.

Method A: The Silver Clay Bezel Setting

This is a classic and very elegant method. The idea is to build a wall (the bezel) that wraps around the sea glass, and then fold that wall over the edge of the glass to hold it secure.

Step-by-Step:

  1. Design and Create Your Base: Roll out a piece of silver clay to your desired thickness (e.g., 1.5-2mm). Cut out your shape (circle, square, organic form) using a clay cutter or template.

  2. "Trace" Your Sea Glass: Place your chosen sea glass piece onto the clay base exactly where you want it. Very gently press the glass into the clay to create a faint indentation or "footprint" of its base. This is your guide. Remove the sea glass.

  3. Make the Bezel Strip: Take more silver clay and roll it out into a thin, long rope or a flat strip. This will be your bezel wall. The height of this strip needs to be slightly higher than the point where the sea glass starts to curve upwards. A good rule of thumb for beginners is that the bezel wall should be just a little lower than the top of the stone.

  4. Form the Bezel: Apply a very small amount of silver clay paste along the inside of your indented footprint. Carefully wrap your clay strip exactly along this line, fitting it snugly around the footprint. Join the ends of the strip neatly, using paste and a little water to smooth the join so it becomes invisible. Allow this "cup" structure to dry completely. This is a crucial step!

  5. Trial Fit: Once the base and bezel "cup" are completely dry, gently test-fit your sea glass. It should sit comfortably inside the bezel. If it's too snug, you can gently sand the inside of the bezel wall. If it’s too loose, this is more challenging and might require starting again.

  6. Firing: Fire your complete silver clay piece (without the glass in it!). Follow the firing instructions for your specific brand of silver clay (PMC3 or Art Clay Silver can be torch-fired or kiln-fired). Remember, silver clay shrinks (about 8-12% for PMC3), so your fired silver piece will be slightly smaller than your dried clay piece.

  7. The Set: Once your silver piece has been fired, quenched, and pickled (cleaned), place the sea glass back inside the fired silver bezel. Now, you need a bezel pusher (a specialized metal tool). Use the pusher to firmly but gently press the top edge of the silver bezel wall over the lip of the sea glass. Work your way all the way around, folding the metal over. Finally, burnish (smooth) the bezel with a steel or agate burnisher for a bright, polished finish that clamps down on the glass.

Method B: The Silver Clay Prong Setting

This is a more modern, delicate-looking setting that showcases more of the stone. Instead of a continuous wall, you use small prongs (or claws) to hold the glass in place. This is often an easier starting point for beginners as the fit is less precise than a bezel.

Step-by-Step:

  1. Design and Create Your Base: Just like the bezel method, roll out your silver clay and cut your base shape. Create that light "footprint" of your sea glass.

  2. Add Your Prongs: This is the creative part! You can add 3, 4, or more prongs. They can be simple round wires, flattened strips, or even sculpted claw-like shapes.

  • Create Prongs from Paste: You can build prongs directly onto the base using silver clay paste and a fine brush or clay-working tool. This allows for great sculptural freedom.

  • Integrate Prongs into the Design: You can carve small indentations into your base and embed small, pre-made (or hand-sculpted) prongs into them, securing with paste.

  1. Shape and Secure: Make sure your prongs are positioned to rise up and over the widest point (the girdle) of your sea glass. Apply a little paste and press the prongs firmly onto the base, ensuring a strong connection. Build up the base around each prong a little to make it more secure.

  2. Dry and Test: Let the entire piece dry completely. Gently test-fit your sea glass, ensuring the prongs are correctly positioned to curve over the glass. Don't fold them over yet!

  3. Firing: Fire your complete silver clay piece without the glass in it, according to instructions.

  4. The Set: Once the piece is fired and cleaned, place the sea glass into the fired silver prong setting. Use flat-nose pliers, or specialized prong-pushing pliers (which are fantastic for even pressure), to carefully bend each prong down over the surface of the sea glass. Work with care, pushing the prongs sequentially (e.g., 1, then 3, then 2, then 4) to ensure the glass stays centered and secure.

Part 4: The Finishing Touches

Whether you've used a bezel or prong setting, the final steps are what bring your piece to life.

  1. Sanding and Polishing: Once the setting is complete, you can refine the silver. Use fine-grit sanding sponges (e.g., 400, 600, 1000) to smooth any imperfections. A brass brush is an essential tool to transform the matte, "just-fired" white silver into a bright, metallic silver. Use it dry or with a drop of washing-up liquid and water. Finally, for a mirror finish, use a steel or agate burnisher.

  2. Patinas and Color: To highlight the texture of your silver and create a beautiful contrast with the frosted sea glass, you can add a patina. Solutions like "Liver of Sulphur" or "XL Gel" are standard for blackening silver. Follow instructions carefully, then gently sand or polish away the patina from the high spots, leaving the recessed areas dark. This "antiqued" look is incredibly popular for sea-inspired designs.

 

LOUISE ANNE DESIGNS

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