When Take Chan posted the pictures of his collection of sea glass and his creations using these attractive sea glass gems, it became an instant hit on Instagram, attracting a huge fan following that currently numbers over 23,000. These glass pebbles in vibrant colours and fascinating shapes are nothing less than semi-precious stones. But, what are they and where do they come from?
Imagine chucking your beer bottle in the sea while out on a boat ride. The glass bottle will certainly sink to the bottom of the sea. Since it’s glass, it may get broken up, getting smashed against submerged rocks into various pieces of differing sizes and shapes.
These sharp-edged shards of glass will then get acted upon by the moving sands and tiny stones on the seabed. This action will grind, file and scrape these glass pieces and polish them up. All the sharp edges will get smoothened, turning the glass pieces into beautiful, flawless sea glass gems, bestowed with unique gloss, glaze and lustre.
This transformation is not completed in months or years but takes decades, even centuries. Much depends upon the strength of the undercurrents existing on the seabed that pushes the glass pieces to and groupon the gritty sand and gravel. The final product lies undiscovered at the bottom of the sea.
Now, imagine that you are walking on the beach with your eyes focused on the sand, looking for seashells. Suddenly, you notice a colourful gem-like stone glittering in the sand. You jump for joy thinking this is certainly from the treasure chest of some legendary pirate! But, on closer inspection, it turns out to be just a piece of glass, albeit of exquisite beauty.
