I was looking for beach glass earrings to purchase for a friend in Arizona. Oregon doesn't have as much beach glass as driftwood and sea shells. I didn't find any earrings on that trip to the coast but have been working with glass my entire life as a stained glass artist.

I thought about what beach glass is. Broken bottles and glass ware that have been tumbled by water and sand for years until it is smooth and sanded and the colors muted. I had a rock tumbler and several empty wine bottles so started my journey of creating lightweight, translucent glass jewelry.

I recycle bottles and other glass ware by breaking and shaping the pieces then putting them in my rock tumbler with beach sand. It takes nature 35 to 50 years to completely smooth the glass and it takes me under 2 weeks! The main difference is that I can control the thickness and shapes. I can get 5 different shapes from the glass I am breaking. Some parts of the bottles and plates are thicker than others so each piece of glass is unique.