Handmade treasures often make very memorable gifts. Like those treasured drawings from children that parents may often hold very dear because it reflects the love and priorities of the children, An artisan's jewelry reflects the love the artisan has for a craft. Those crafts become even more special when they include rare materials or those unique to a particular place or culture. Added to that, their is the  adventure of acquiring them.  The Caribbean Sea renders both common, precious, and semi-precious treasures, from pearls, sea glass, corals to beautiful shells and beach pebbles.

I'm often asked these questions about sea glass:

What is sea glass?

Is seaglass precious?

Is there sea glass in Belize?

We will explore these questions more in-depth in this article.

What is sea glass?

Sometimes called a reverse gem, sea glass is made from pieces of glass that made their way into the ocean. These pieces of glass are then refined by natural processes in the ocean. It is often called a reverse gem because gems are naturally found in nature and refined by men but sea glass, on the other hand, starts with a man-made material that is refined by nature. Genuine sea glass is surf tumbled as it is shaped and smoothened with the ebb and flow of the tides. The shards collide with other particles and sand in the ocean.  This constant tumbling smooths out the edges but also creates little pits and gives it a unique frosted look.