The mystical appeal of Sea Glass has contributed to an enormous increase in its popularity. In the 14 years since the publication of the Sea Glass Bible, Pure Sea Glass and subsequent formation of the North American Sea Glass Association, interest in sea glass collecting has reached an all-time high and shows no signs of waning. Here we explore some of the Zen-like qualities of Sea Glass and another magical symbol, the Starfish.
What Is Sea Glass?
Sea Glass is well regarded as a symbol of renewal and healing, a metaphor for life. Sea Glass is simply glass, originally a bottle, dish or favored decorative object, no longer needed because it has served its purpose, outlived its usefulness or is broken and tossed in the trash. Many years before the advent of recycling and the availability of landfills, much of our trash, including glass, was discarded into our oceans and rivers, something hard to imagine today.
A Miracle of Transformation
What happens to the glass once it reaches the ocean evolves during a span of 20 to 50 years or more. The glass becomes refined. It is smoothed, beautified, its rough edges softened and its color and texture enhanced.
Through a natural process the glass breaks into smaller pieces and different shapes. It travels with the currents, tosses in the waves, mixes with rocks and coarse sand. Even its chemical makeup is altered. Numerous times it is washed up onto the beach, only to be stolen again by the tides and waves and returned to nature’s own giant tumbler.
Finally one day it remains on the beach to be discovered and cherished by someone who truly appreciates its history, value and beauty.
The Starfish
The Starfish (actually not a fish but an Echinoderm called Asteroidea) is also a universal symbol of renewal and healing. Unlike a human, the Starfish (also called a Sea Star) has a miraculous, mysterious ability to regenerate its cells, grow new limbs and in some cases replace its entire body. The Starfish is a symbol of our ability to shed a bad habit to make room for a healthier one, an example of how to rid oneself of excess baggage to make room for a new outlook on life.
Sea Glass & the Starfish: A Metaphor for Life
Although it is unfortunate, many of us experience disappointment, heartbreak, health problems and other adversity some time during our lives.
We may believe that we are not valued. We may feel broken and damaged as we grow older, not unlike the Starfish who has lost a limb. We may even feel underappreciated and unloved akin to that piece of broken glass tossed away without a thought.
The tale of Sea Glass & the Starfish is a metaphor for life, a story of determination and resilience when facing life’s challenges.
It is a parable recounting how one can develop maturity and knowledge while weathering the tides and currents.
It is about accepting one’s imperfections, believing that persistence and time will smooth and soften them, as the tumbling of the ocean smooths and softens a piece of glass, resulting in a brand new, polished sea glass jewel to be appreciated more than it ever was before.
Even as the Starfish can renew its own body, healing itself from within, so may we experience equally miraculous results with faith and conviction aided by these simple, everyday talismans.
A Powerful Synergy of Symbolism in Sea Glass Jewelry Design
As you finish this story you can now envision the powerful synergy of symbolism when Sea Glass & the Starfish are combined in our jewelry designs. We use only naturally tumbled sea glass, polished by ocean waters, waves, rocks and sands. The intrinsic value of our sea glass jewelry designs is in the history and authenticity of the sea glass which we source from many locations in the US and beyond. Our starfish is crafted with .925 sterling silver.
We hope you find inspiration in this Tale of Renewal and Healing.
