Sea glass collectors comb the coast

Sarah Lake - 

When combing the beach with his metal detector, Bill Winkler oftentimes comes across sea glass, and his most interesting pieces are on display in his shop, Treasure Quest.

"I've got pounds of it," he said.

The Delmarva coast's wealth of shipwrecks -- more than 10,000 according to Don Shomette, a nautical historian who drafted the Shipwrecks of Delmarva map for National Geographic -- provides an equally wealthy load of sea glass and other artifacts. However, as those treasures are picked through and manufacturers abandon glass for plastic, some collectors say sea glass could someday become a thing of the past.

Michele Buckler, owner of Sand N Stones in Lewes, started collecting sea glass in the '70s and said increased recycling, beach replenishment and a heightened interest in the hobby has made pieces harder to find.

"It possibly may become one of those rare, rare treasures," she said. "When I started out, sea glass was all over the place. Now it's difficult to find one or two pieces a day, and I don't always find it when I go out."

Buckler, who sells jewelry made from sea glass, is one of more than 40 vendors in this weekend's Mid-Atlantic Sea Glass & Coastal Arts Festival.

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