As the surf crash into the sandy beaches of the Outer Banks, they often bring with them an array of shells, the occassional seaweed and, on occassion, the gem of the ocean, sea glass.
Sea glass, also known as mermaid's tears, is glass found on our beaches that has been tumbled and smoothed by the ocean and sand, creating small pieces of smooth, frosted glass.

Not so long ago, mermaid's tears was just something you collected in your sand pail along with found shells, as a souvenier. Today, those frosted gems, shaped and smoothed over the decades, are being sought by collectors.
What began as litter is transformed into sought out beach treasure. Everything used to come in glass bottles or jars and recycling was non existent. Trash collection was also something that would not begin until the beach area developed. With the advent of recycling and the wide use of plastic, sea glass is becoming increasingly harder to find and very collectible.

Where did the piece of sea glass you found came from? What was it in it's former life, and how long has it been rolling in the ocean sand and tide? Your first clue in answering these questions is the color of the sea glass. Sea glass's color is determined by its original source as bottles, jars, plates, windshields, and any other glass source that has found its way into the ocean.
Common colors of sea glass, Green, Brown & White are in wide use today......Rarer colors of seaglass are pieces that the color has not been made or used commercially for many years.

Common colors of sea glass are kelly green, brown, and clear from bottles used by companies that sell beer, juices, soft drinks, . clear plates, drinking glasses, windshields and windows.

Less common colors include jade, amber from whiskey, medicine, spirits, and early bleach bottles, golden amber from spirit bottles, lime green from soda bottles, forest green, and soft blue from soda, medicine, ink, and fruit jars.

Uncommon colors of sea glass include green, which comes from early Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper, RC Cola and beer bottles while soft greens may come from ink bottles.

Sea glass colors of purple, citron, opaque white from milk glass, cobalt and cornflower blue from early Milk of Magnesia bottles, poison bottles, Bromo-Seltzer and Vicks Vapo Rub containers, and aqua from Ball Mason jars are very uncommon.

Rare and extremely rare colors include gray, pink often from Great Depression era plates, teal from Mateus wine bottles, black from older, very dark olive green glass, yellow often from 1930s Vaseline containers, turquoise from tableware, red from nautical lights and orange the rarest color of sea glass. These colors are found once for every 1,000 to 10,000 pieces collected. Some of the black sea glass originates from eighteenth-century gin, beer and wine bottles.

Collecting sea glass is a widely shared hobby among beach lovers. Many enjoy filling decorative jars or making jewelry from their finds. Sea glass can be found all over the world, but the beaches of the Outer Banks are famous for colorful sea glass finds. The best times to look for your sea glass treasure is during the first low tide after a storm. Happy treasure hunting.