Where to find sea glass in Delaware and how to celebrate these coastal treasures

If you ever stumble upon a smooth piece of colored rock when shell-searching at the beaches, you may have discovered some sea glass.

The trash-to-treasure beach find has collected quite a following among crafters and beachcombers, and there are entire festivals and shops revolved around local sea glass happening this summer.

Spring and summer storms can contribute to more of these colorful trash-turned-treasures washing ashore.

While artists like to use sea glass from the Delaware beaches, it can be hard to come across if you don’t know where to look or what you’re looking for.

Here’s how to find your own sea glass this summer at the beaches.

What is sea glass?

Sea glass, sometimes called “mermaid’s tears,'' is nearly exactly what the name implies: glass that has been exposed to the conditions of the sea. What starts as pieces of broken glass is tumbled through the ocean’s currents and smoothed in the process. Its “frosty” appearance is due to the saltwater.

According to research published in the "Sea Glass Journal,'' most pieces of sea glass take around 15 to 20 years of weathering to get their distinct look and shape.

Glass can enter the sea in many different ways: through shipwrecks, accidents or littering. Sea glass is considered litter by most beaches and is encouraged to be removed from the shores by people who find them.

Where can I find sea glass?

The shores of any saltwater beach will be a good place to search for this treasure. Although sea glass sometimes can blend in with other shells and rocks, there are a few distinct features that make it stand out.

Look for slightly different colored shards, usually with softer edges and an ashy or chalky finish.

The most common colors of glass to find on beaches are white, brown and emerald green. These colors usually indicate that the original glass source was ordinary beer bottles or household jars.

More uncommon colors like blue, olive green and amber usually are considered to originate from medicine bottles, soda bottles or old cosmetic jars. Other rare colors like black, lime green or pink come from perfume bottles and various other knickknacks that would be found on ships.

Woodland Beach, located outside of Smyrna off the Delaware Bay, has been reported as a good destination to find sea glass.

Cape Henlopen, Pickering Beach and aptly named Big Stone Beach also have been flagged as good spots to find some sea glass, but typically any shore with saltwater could have sea glass.

Beachcombers recommend that people interested in finding sea glass look on rocky beaches because the rocks help weather the glass and keep them from being swept back out to sea. Additionally, it's best to wait for low tide when more of the shore is exposed. This will give you a better surface area of places to look.

Sea glass crafts

Sea glass is often used for custom jewelry and decorative purposes. There are many boutiques around the Delaware beaches that use sea glass as their medium for crafts and souvenirs.

Pieces can be strung together and used for necklaces, glued onto dishes and frames, boxes and plenty of other crafts.

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After moving to Slaughter Beach from New Jersey, Pat Catanzariti was inspired by the sea glass on Delaware’s beaches and decided to use it as a creative medium.

Catanzariti and their wife started Sea Screens LLC, using sea glass to create framed artwork. Customers can even select their own pieces of sea glass from the shop’s collection, which they use to customize a design.

Molly McVety covers community and environmental issues around Delaware. Contact her at mmcvety@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @mollymcvety.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Where to find sea glass this summer on your visit to Delaware beaches