My online journey began over 30 years ago — BG (Before Google) — on a tiny webpage provided free by my first internet company, Interpath, the only provider on the Outer Banks at the time. The site was simple and clunky, a little WYSIWYG creation I built myself, long before we owned our own domain name, ByTheSeaJewelry.com.

Back then, digital cameras were brand-new, bulky, and outrageously expensive — far beyond what I could justify spending. Film photography still ruled the world. Some photo developers had just started offering an innovative add-on: a floppy disk containing digital copies of your prints. That little technological leap allowed me to begin documenting my earliest creations — a digital record that still survives today.

When I look back at those first pieces, I can’t help but laugh. Some designs make me wonder, What was I thinking? while others leave me asking, Why don’t I make settings like that anymore? Those early experiments, captured and saved on floppy disks, are more than just photos — they’re a snapshot of the beginning of a lifelong creative journey.

Here are a few examples of those very first pieces, lovingly preserved from those early days.

The Birth Of Digital

Shortly after the floppy option was available, I purchased my FIRST digital appliance, a $70 Mustek Scanner that I purchased at Sam's Club in Chesapeake Virginia (and actually got a $30 rebate on). The very first photos on the By The Sea site were in fact scanned on this device. For the time it was groundbreaking (for me at least). Items were laid flat on the scanner and then covered. I would edit using an old Adobe software that I got free with one of my computers.

These are examples of photos that were scanned.

A screen shot from 2000

When we first acquired our WWW Domain.

Progress

For a while, I continued using those early imaging methods to photograph my jewelry for the website. Then, about a year or two later, everything changed — I was gifted a Sony digital camera. It was big and clunky by today’s standards, but at the time it was cutting-edge, and it took fantastic photos. That camera, which cost around $800 back then (a small fortune!), came with a Carl Zeiss lens — and wow, did it deliver. Even more amazing, it stored photos directly onto a floppy disk that slid right into the camera itself.

I absolutely loved that camera. It opened up an entirely new level of quality and possibility for my business. Even though it was slow and heavy, it produced crisp, beautiful images that made my jewelry shine online. It even had a rotating LED screen on the back — a small but revolutionary feature that meant I didn’t have to crouch behind the viewfinder to get the perfect shot. I still have many of those original floppy disks tucked away (though, ironically, none of my current computers have a drive to read them!).

Eventually, I upgraded to a Sony F717, again with a Carl Zeiss lens. I still own that camera, although technology has far surpassed it now. It wasn’t without its issues — one problem was even recalled and repaired for free. When the same issue happened again, I decided it was time to explore other options.

Today

These days, our photography setup is worlds away from those early experiments. My husband — a meticulous researcher who never makes a decision lightly — chose our current camera: a Canon Rebel EOS T3, paired with a high-quality Canon macro lens. And ever since those early Sony days, we’ve continued to photograph every piece of jewelry in macro mode.

What does that mean? It means you’re seeing everything — every delicate curve, subtle texture, and tiny detail, even ones the human eye might miss. Recently, I’ve started capturing extreme close-ups so you can see the natural texture and those distinctive “C” markings that are only found in authentic, genuine sea glass. It’s a small detail, but for collectors and sea glass lovers, it’s a hallmark of authenticity.

Some pieces — especially earrings — are trickier to shoot up close. The macro lens needs to be about 5–6 inches away, and with earrings, you need more distance to get both pieces in focus. But even when perfection isn’t possible, the principle remains: photographing sea glass is a lot like photographing people. The closer you get, the more you notice every little imperfection. But those imperfections? They’re exactly what make each piece so uniquely beautiful.

Staging the Perfect Shot

When I first started, my photography setup was as simple as it gets: direct sunlight, a white piece of paper, and a whole lot of editing. I quickly learned that propping the jewelry up brought out richer color and added depth to the images. That’s when I began using shells and starfish as props — and I noticed something interesting. These natural elements didn’t just make the photo prettier — they actually helped balance the colors in the shot. Even something as simple as placing a brown shell next to seafoam glass created a more accurate, vibrant color rendering.

But direct sunlight had its downsides. Strong colors like deep reds and purples were often washed out or distorted, and editing them was a painstaking process. Everything changed about 6 or 7 years ago when I discovered the photo cube. Today, nearly all of my staging still happens outdoors in natural sunlight inside a photo cube. I’ve found that nothing replicates the true color and translucence of sea glass better than real light.

Evolving Our Style

Our props have evolved over time, too. From shells and starfish, I moved on to more organic tropical elements like palm leaves and Florida blooms. Eventually, I realized that my collection of vintage glass bottles and jars made the perfect backdrop — after all, those are the very objects sea glass once was. Perching earrings on the lip of a bottle was an elegant solution that added a touch of storytelling to the photos.

I still use that technique occasionally, but sparingly — mostly because so many other jewelers have copied the style. I believe originality matters. When everyone starts imitating each other, the creativity behind the idea becomes diluted, and the result loses its magic.

Since most of our website features a clean white background (the standard for showcasing jewelry), I now often use white bleached coral. It adds a soft, organic, coastal feel while still keeping the site crisp, modern, and cohesive.

How Our Staging Has Evolved

From paper and sunlight to macro lenses and photo cubes, our photography journey has grown alongside our craft. Every adjustment, every prop, every lighting choice is about one thing: capturing the soul of sea glass — its history, its imperfections, and its one-of-a-kind beauty — in the truest way possible. 

Editing

You wouldn’t believe how I used to edit photos nearly 30 years ago — it was painstaking, pixel-by-pixel work, often literally editing one pixel at a time. It was slow, tedious, and time-consuming… but it was worth it.

Today, editing is a completely different story. With the help of macros and modern tools, the process is streamlined and efficient — so much so that I joke I could probably do it in my sleep. Even still, certain pieces can be tricky to photograph and edit. Jewelry with silver settings and soft pastel sea glass, for example, can be especially challenging on cloudy days. Because silver is a white metal and we shoot on a white background, getting the contrast and detail just right takes extra care.

We keep our editing as minimal and natural as possible, focusing only on removing background distractions and adding our logo. The goal is to let the jewelry speak for itself — to show you its true character, color, and craftsmanship just as it is.

To Sum It Up

I’ll be the first to admit — I’m not a “professional photographer.” Like many people in the digital age, I’m more of a point-and-shoot kind of person. But I always aim to make our photos feel original and distinctive, so they stand out in a sea (pun intended!) of other sea glass artists online.

Every image you see on our site is designed to be an honest, beautiful representation of the piece — not overly polished or filtered, but real, authentic, and true to the art.

Our Customers

One of the most common compliments we hear from customers is that, even though we work hard to photograph each piece as accurately as possible, they still look even more stunning in person. And honestly, that’s the best compliment we could hope for.

Whether you decide to purchase a piece or simply enjoy browsing through our gallery, I hope you appreciate not just the jewelry itself but also the time, care, and love that goes into photographing the sea glass — each image a tiny celebration of nature’s artistry.

Warmly,
Linda Jereb
Designer & Owner, By The Sea Jewelry

So, you’re curious about the differences between gold-filled and gold-plated jewelry. Maybe you’ve already done some research but have come across confusing, conflicting, or down right false facts on the subject. Never fear, below you can find the research we’ve done into the subject, along with an infographic that you can print so you’ll always have it on hand.

Now let’s get started.

Is Gold-Filled the same as Gold-Plated?

No. Not only are their manufacturing processes different, but the amount of gold alloy used on gold-filled pieces is different than gold-plated.

The layer of gold alloy on gold-plated jewelry is so minuscule it is barely noticeable in the above image. Gold-filled jewelry has 100x more gold alloy than gold plated and because that layer is so much thicker, it means gold-filled jewelry lasts longer and stands up to wear and tear better than gold plated. All it would take is one small scratch on a gold-plated piece to expose the jeweler’s brass underneath.

Why is there such a difference in the amount of gold alloy? The answer lies in the manufacturing process:

To make gold-filled pieces, the core metal is sandwiched between two layers of gold alloy which is then heated and passed through a roller several times – a process that both bonds the metals together and thins the sheet out.

To make gold-plated pieces, an electric current is used to negatively charge the base metal and positively charge a solution containing gold ions. The positive gold ions are attracted to the negative charge of the core metal, slowly forming a layer of gold on top of the core.

Thicker amounts of gold alloy can be added during both processes but typically the amounts shown before are the standard.

How do they compare durability wise?

As said before in the first section, gold-filled pieces are generally more durable than gold-plated due to the thicker layer of gold alloy. The longevity of either type is dependent on wear, environment, and quality of the piece.

As long as the piece is well cared for, gold-filled jewelry can last a lifetime.

Gold plated jewelry is not very durable and can’t stand up to much heat, water, or wear.

What about Tarnishing?

The thickness of the gold alloy layer also affects the piece’s chance of tarnishing.

That place is on the Sea of Japan. This cold remote beach has natural volcanic black sand, though on some days, you’d have to dig to see it as it is covered in glass.

The coast used to be a dumping site for glass and porcelain dating back to the early to mid 20th century. Truckloads of old bottles, dishes, and other glass and ceramic items were simply dumped on the sand and left.

That sounds really irresponsible these days, but nature has a funny way of cleaning turning our trash into treasures. After years of being ground down by sand, sea and tides, they’ve become smooth and frosty, like little frozen jewels that a mermaid would wear.

And they come in all kinds of colors, too. People from the area and beyond come to comb through the dull-edged glass and porcelain pieces, and it’s become so popular that it’s actually now a protected place, watched over by the government. Glass Bay, as it’s known, is also a popular place for swimming and other traditional beach activities. 

In such a large media driven world, it is wonderful to find a new Glass Beach!

NOTE - Government issued licenses are required to collect on this beach it is protected.

Limited Pieces NOW ONLINE!

Our recommendations are below.....

The Sea Glass "Bible" is considered to be Richard LaMotte's " Pure Sea Glass" it covers the History of Sea Glass, How to Locate Sea Glass, Conditioning, Colors, Sources and much more! The photography is by Celia Pearson, who has been a fine art photographer for over 30 years.

Other works by LaMotte and Pearson " The Lure Of Sea Glass", Sea Glass Identification Cards, and Note Cards

Our second favorite and the original of Sea Glass Books by "C.S. Lambert "Sea Glass Cronicles"

She crafted several fine books about sea glass including "Passion for Sea Glass", "Sea Glass Hunters Handbook", and she collaborated with a photographer friend of ours from Hong Kong, Tina Lam. That books is "Sea Glass Rare and Wonderful", which is artfully written with amazing artful photos.

Tina also produced the book "The Art Of Sea Glass", which is a wonderful collection of original photos and text.

Our Friend Bev Jacquement wrote AND photographed a lovely book "The Sea Glass Rush." which features Davenport Sea Glass that originated from James Lundberg scraps.

Another author and sea glass collector Cindy Bilboa, has written "Sea Glass Treasures From the Tide" as well as several fine books on the subject.

Fictional stories start with the most famous which has a central theme have also been published, " Sea Glass" by Anita Shreve.  Anita seems to love sea glass and mentions it in passing in many of her well written novels.

Other novels include "Sea Glass Island",  "Frosted Glass" (in which the cover art was based on a piece of my sea glass) and "Hatteras Blue" by our friend Dave Poyner

" Runaway Tide" and "Walking on Sea Glass" were written by author Julie Carboini

There are children's stories as well. "The Story of Sea Glass" by Anne Wescott Dodd , "S is for Sea Glass", and "The Journey of Sea Glass" all have an appeal to the young sea glass hunter.

"Organic Wire and Metal Jewelry" by Eva Sherman & Beth Martin is a wonderful craft book in which our Our Deluxe Wire Bezel setting was featured in the gallery section.

Author Josie Islen has written many wonderful and well photographed books about beach combing and one we specially love "Sea Glass Hearts", that explains and celebrates these natural sea glass wonders.

There are many other books out there but they are seem to repeat what had been published before with amateur photos and content.

Our bangle bracelet sizing chart will help you select the right size to fit your needs. Below are two different methods to find your perfect bracelet size.

Our Sea Glass Bangle Bracelets open on one end, so to finished size does NOT need to fit over your wrist. We have found that adding 1/4 inch (for a close fit) to 1/2 Inch ( a more comfortable fit) to your wrist size is a good way to determine the size you will need. For Bangles, you can measure a regular charm or link bracelet to get a size.

We charge a small $5 fee to resize our solid sterling sea glass bangle bracelets.

Method 1: Measure a bracelet you already have with a ruler from end to end. Then use our Size Chart to select a bracelet size based on the measurement.

Method 2: Use a flexible measuring tape or a piece of string and a ruler. Take the measurement of your wrist, the select a bracelet size, using our Size Chart based on the measurement you took.

Note: If you are between sizes chose a size based on how you like to wear your bracelets. If you like a tighter fit choose a size smaller. If you like a larger fit choose the next size up.

IF A BANGLE BRACELET BECOMES TO LOOSE, SIMPLY OPEN THE BRACELET AND GENTLY PULL THE BANGLE SO THE GAP IS LARGER!

While there are MANY types of sea glass found on this small English beach, pontils, flashed glass, boulders and bubbles, etc... (see Collecting Sea Glass - The Beaches Our Sea Glass Comes From), the most amazing and the most desirable sea glass from the area is the coveted "Ultra Rare Multi". This is a piece of sea glass that has 2 or more colors that flows and swirls inside the sea glass piece (unlike flash glass that only has color on one side).

To View our Seaham Sea Glass Jewelry - CLICK HERE!

At First.....

I had first thought with my then limited knowledge of glass making, that this was End Of Day Glass. Molten glass that was combined at the end of a production cycle to be discarded). The initial reasoning was the great variance in the colors in these pieces.

Later I was told by an English glass maker in Sunderland England at the National Glass Center, that the mixing crucible, a vat where colorants were added to plain glass to add color, was a better guess at how these amazing sea glass pieces were initially created. Colorants were built up on the side of the vat and later discarded into local waters.

Glass Making In The Region...

Though there were dozens of glass makers in Northern England, most glass product were utilitarian. Hand Blown Bottles, sheet glass for windows and roofs and such we made by numerous glass makers within miles of the Seaham Beaches. This source however, would have ONLY produced the more common colors of glass (Green, Brown, White and Seafoam). The more colorful Multis including colors of Hot Pink, Orange, Red, Teals etc, COULD NOT have originated from bottle glass.

New Possible Source...

In the last year, we found another possible source for this sea glass. A glass maker by the name of James Hartely produced many forms of glass in this region. The art glass that was brought to our attention while browsing social media was his elusive Art Glass Pieces that was produced in the Sunderland Region at his plant at Trimdon Street and Deptford Road, just minutes from the Sunderland harbor on the Tyne and Wear. It is very possible that his scraps and breakages are a source of the Ultra Rare Seaham Sea Glass Multi.

Below are some of the rare examples of James' work from the late 1800's, a man ahead of this time. We think, the source of some of the Ultra Ultra Rare Multi's. Let us know what YOU think....Are we on the right track?

This theory has also been confirmed by and English Art Glass professor and historian.

To Purchase a Sea Glass Jewelry piece from this collection, Visit Seaham Multi Sea Glass Jewelry

For more info on Hartley Glass See

Cambridge Glass Fair

Hartley & Wood Company

Historic Glass In England (a great read)

Hartley & Wood Streaky Glass	Seaham Sea Glass Pieces

You asked for them so here they are, NEW By The Sea Jewelry sea glass Ankle Bracelets.

These anklets come in a variety of styles and sizes so there is something here for every beach babe!

Anklets include charms, real AAA pearls, sea glass and solid sterling silver beads.

What makes our sea glass anklets different.........?

Soldered Links! Unlike any of our competitors, we solder all utility links. This is a time consuming tedious process but we want to know that you will have your anklet for many years to come!

And of COURSE, all Genuine Sea Glass is used in the pieces.

AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME!

Shop Sea Glass Anklets NOW!

Our genuine sea glass bangle bracelets bring a fun feeling to the beach, home or office.

We incorporate real sea glass (drilled of course) with vintage beads, pearls. sterling details and now lockets.

All of our bangle are made from SOLID STERLING SILVER (We never used plated materials in our work), and some of the finest sea glass in the world.

We have 3 styles of bangles thin flat, half round and round. 

The thin flat is a good choice for the budget minded. The half round bangle is a nice comfortable choice and the full round is a heavy solid round bangle that we generally use with our best sea glass for our more discriminating customers.

We also incorporate our new lockets into bangles. They are fun and whimsical and let you carry the beach with you everyday.

All of our sea glass bangles can be viewed online at Sea Glass Bangles and Sea Glass Locket Bangles

Some examples of our newest Sea Glass Bangle Bracelets in sterling silver

Edit

Some examples of our Sea Glass Locket Bangle Bracelets

Pontil sea glass originates from only one beach in the world that we know of, Seaham England.

These amazing unique sea glass finds are beautiful and stunning to behold.

Our theory on these pieces confirmed and excepted by many glass and sea glass experts the world over, seems to be the most accurate theory of the origin of these beautiful beach gems.

A Primer on Seaham Sea Glass

You need to know a little about the sea glass that washes up on this small hamlets beach to begin. Glass factories once dominated the area in the mid 1800's the beginning of the industrial age. There were many factories in the area, some producing art glass for Victorian homes, some producing hand blown bottles the all of Europe.

From 1853 until 1921, the Candlish Bottle Works produced over 20,000 of hand blown bottles a day. Dawdon pit, near Seaham closed and the sea dumping of colliery waste, discards of broken attempts and slap (cullet) glass into local waters were ended. This practice accounts for a bulk of the sea glass found in Seaham (specially on Blast Beach outside of Seaham) - HOWEVER, this glass was mostly of the common to uncommon colors and was generally a solid shade. Bottles produced at the factory ranged from brown, black (not truly black but deep thick greens and browns), seafoam or pale green and of course white and off white pieces.

However this poses the question of the most sought after sea glass in the world, the brightly colored and multi colored sea glass that washes up on this towns shores.

These pieces could not have originated from such utilitarian glass used in bottle making. 

You can also view our page Our Collections - Where our sea glass comes from that includes many photos and info on this sea glass.

The Seaham Multi Colored Sea Glass

The Seaham multi and Seaham Brights could only be the result of art glass factories that existed further up the beach in the Tyne and Wear region and in Sunderland, the glass making capital of England. Though we have not been able to find the names of these companies, you can witness products made by this skilled artisans at the National Glass Centre in Sunderland.

The National Glass Centre is still at the heart of glass making today, using the same techniques that were employed over 150 years ago.

So Seaham Multies and Pontil Pieces, where do THEY come from?

Our theory ( though it is just that, only a theory), is that many of the multi colored pieces of sea glass originated as leftovers of the color mixing process in glass making. You see, colorants are added to glass when it is flowing or molten. These colorants are added to the glass in a mixing crucible next to the kiln. A blob of whitish glass is gathered on a punty, and then rolled in the colorant or mineral until it is incorporated. When this is done, layers build up on the side of the crucible. When this coloring crucible is cleaned ( and the glass has hardened), the Seaham Multi is born. These Crucible scraps were discarded into the Tyne and Wear and the North Sea and now was up on Seaham Beach.

But what about the Pontil Pieces?

Again, it is just this artists theory but I can only imagine that they started out as pontil or punty tips. A pontil or punty is the large metal rod used to gather molten glass from the kiln (also called a gather). The rod is generally tipped with a cheaper glass (like white or an uncolored pale green).

Once the punty is ready, the more expensive color glass like blues, reds, pinks etc., are attached to the molten white punty piece. When the final product is finished, the punty end is heated, pulled and snapped off, and the punty tip discarded, in this case, into the North Sea.

You can read MORE about glass making on the best glass site online 

Historic Glass Bottle Identification & Information Website

When you examine a Seaham Fish Eye (what we are calling a pontil piece), in many cases you can see how the glass inside of the glass continued to stretch as the outside became stable and cooled. If you have ever worked with molten glass or even sugar, you understand how this works.

Again this is only one artists theory though it is the accepted theory the world over on the origin of these unique sea glass pieces. In fact one of the worlds leading experts in sea glass, Dr. Beachcomb, seems to have accepted our theory as well, (see Dr. Beachcombs blog at https://drbeachcomb.wordpress.com/2016/01/20/english-sea-glass/) as well as most other sea glass experts. 

Though other theories exist, ours seems the most credible and most well accepted

More about glass making

From time to time, we offer sea glass pontil pieces set in gold and silver. Here are a few examples of past work that we have done.

For current Pontil Sea Glass Jewelry Pieces please visit THIS LINK!

All this month and into next month we will be adding a wide selection of Genuine Sea Glass Earrings in our Original Wire Bezel Setting.

This is a classic original setting that leaves the sea glass pieces just the way they were found on the beach. 

Unaltered and beautiful beach gems great for any sea glass lover.

We will have ALL colors from common green, brown and white sea glass pairs to the rarest of rare sets.

Click Here for our NEWEST Bezel earrings!!!!