Ancient hobby of sea glass collecting makes a comeback

Ellie Mercier - 

Beach combing is one of the oldest pastimes known to mankind, and within the past five years, the percentage of those sharing this passion has dramatically increased.

In ancient times, beach combing was not only a hobby, but was practiced by local natives to obtain natural resources such as wood and shells. Aborigines referred to these found resources as jetsam (voluntarily cast into the sea by a ship's crew, usually to shed weight in an emergency), and flotsam, (goods found in the water that were not deliberately thrown in the sea).

Fast forwarding to the late 18th century, it was common to see jars of colorful sea glass placed in the windows of stately homes. The gems signified wealth and were often brought back from beaches, such as Cape May, by families who spent their summers by the shore to escape the city heat.

Although the goal of many beachcombers is to discover a prized piece of sea glass, other beachcombers search the world's shores for fossils, seashells, driftwood, or pottery shards. Additional devoted combers hold out for shipwrecked treasures such as gold coins or antique brooches. Yet, despite the type of nautical gifts that combing aficionados yearn to discover, the majority of beachcombers agree that their hobby can be summed up quite accurately, in just one word: addicting.

I know this firsthand, as I happen to be one of those avid combers, and if I'm not searching for treasures on the shore, then I'm fantasizing about my next find.

Read more...

Posted via http://batavia08.posterous.com batavia08's posterous