Mermaid's Tears

A new area for me, though not to the thousands who know all about this. Sea glass, or mermaid's tears, bits of glass that have journeyed within the ocean to find their way onto beaches, where collectors discover them. This Sunday's edition of Parade Magazine had an article on sea glass, which had me wondering about this (for me) new world.


I've always picked up stones I've liked while walking the beach, and sometimes when lucky enough to find, agates. But I ignored the sea gems, or sea glass, thinking it was "just glass." Now I have an appreciation for it, and am looking forward to my next walk on the beach.

A lot of people make jewelry from mermaid's tears; I found this shop on Etsy: Mermaid's Tears; hand crafted jewelry. I love the pendants and necklaces! I'm sure I'll order one, just deciding which one, but I'm thinking of this one:

I like the introduction the shop owner created for her Mermaid's Tears spot:

Sea glass or Mermaid's Tears as it is also known is a wonderful natural creation filled with magic, legends and an air of mystery.Perhaps that piece of cornflower you twirl between your fingers originated as a Victorian poison bottle tossed into the sea by some cloaked woman hiding in the shadows trying to eliminate all traces of her dastardly crime. That rare regal red that you have plucked from the sand could have been a lantern from a notorious pirate vessel lost to the sea now lurking in the mists near some forgotten shoreline. The legend of Mermaid's Tears says that the tears (or sea glass) were created by mermaids who sobbed for the tears of sailor's lost at sea. As their tears hit the water, they turned to these magical pieces of frosted glass .Lovingly nurtured by the ocean; tossed and churned ;pounded by surf and rumbled across pebbles to create an amazing piece of beautiful history.