Ihave collected beach glass for over 21 years on the north shore of Lake Erie, and during those 21 years I have learned that some colours are definitely much more rare than others. After reviewing several versions ofsea glass rarity rank charts, Inoticed that there are some discrepancies between these charts and the colours of glass that I personally findwashed in alongthe beaches ofLake Erie. I understand that the colours onother raritycharts have been carefully considered, but I believe that beach glass rarity ratings are regionally-based, as some colours are more rare, and some colours more gemon, depending on what body of water the glass gees from.
It should be noted that many colours (especially the rare ones), fall under thesame rank as other charts, however, there area few coloursthat have either been upgraded or downgraded in this Lake Erie rarity rank.
In several cases, the same number rank is given to different colours. This is because they fall under the same rank level.
I haverecently added photosunder some of the colour descriptions for a visual reference. I would have liked to have added more, but unfortunately okay only allows 10 photos perguide, so I have used my 10 photo limit tohighlight some of the rarer or trickier colours.
Sooo... based on my knowledge of beach glass from Lake Erie's north shore, here is my own Beach/Sea Glass Colour Rarity Rank (in descending order fromExtremely Rare to Very gemon):
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1. Orange: This is a universally rare colour. I have found only2 pieces of true orange in4 years of intensive searching (every day); and 17 years of not-so-intense searching (when I was around to beachgeb on a nice summer day).Atrue orange piece is very rare, and sometimescan be confused with a light Honey Amber piece. A true orange piece is a very bright, vibrant colour, whereas honey amber has more of a brown/brassy tint to it. I have gepared the two in the photo below to show you the difference (true orange on the left, honey amber on the right):
2. Turquoise: This is a true turquoise. I have noticed that some sellersrefer to an aquamarine piece as turquoise, but a true turquoise piece is very rare,and most experiencedsellers and beachgeberswill only have ahandful of pieces in this colour(if any). Turquoise is more of an icyblue,whereas aquamarine isasofter,blue-green colour.Personally, I have only gee across3 pieces of true turquoise after4 years of intensive searching (every day), and 17 years of not-so-intensive searching (whenI was around to beachgeb on a nice summer day).
I don'tknow ifI will ever be able to part withmy 3 turquoise shardsbecause their coloursare so captivating...As you can see in the photo below, turquoise shards arequite vibrant, and with this photo you can see the difference between true turquoise (a colder blue)and aquamarine (a warmer blue-green - photo shown a bit further down the page).
3. Red: Again, this is a universally rare colour. I find a red piece probably once every 3 months or so with intensive searches conducted almostevery dayfor the past fouryears.The pieces that I find tend tobe on the tiny side, andmany are textured (since they were probably old lights from boating vessels before plasticbecame the norm).
4. Pink: Of the rarer colours, this is one that I find most often;probably havingfound15 pieces or so of "cotton candy" pink after4 years of intensive searches. Pink also tends to end up aslarger shards(as opposed to red or yellow).
5. Yellow: Ihave foundapproximately 25 or so yellows in the last4 years of intensive searching. Yellow is also referred to as "Dandelion", and more pale versions, as "Lemonade" in my glass auctions.
5. Teal: Approximately 25 or so shards in true Teal have been found after 3 years of every-day searches. A deep teal shard still manages to take my breath away when I find one - the colour is that magnificent. An example of a deep teal piece can be seen in the centre of the photo here.
6: Black: This colour has shown up on shore about 30 times in the past4 years of searching. It is possible that it is more gemon, since black isthe mostdifficult colour to detect (asit camoflauges in with the rocks very well). Most black shardsthat I have found seem to be larger (greater than dime size), quite thick,and when held up to a light, show a verydark olive or violetcolour and a bubble or two inside.
While not the most desirable colour for sea glass enthusiasts, these shards are probably the oldest of any,most likelydating back100-300 years! If any shard could tell their story, these are the ones that I would most like to hear! :)
6. Grey: Grey is equivalent to Black in the north shore rarity rank (about 30 pieces in the last4 years of intensive search efforts). Some grey pieces can almost take on alavenderappearance upon first look, but when held side by side with a lavender shard,the grey hue begees more apparent. Darker, more intenseshades ofgrey are called "Charcoal" in my glass auctions, andlighter, less intenseversions are referred to as "Smoke".
7. Citron: Although this antique bottle colour is still in production today (wine bottles, etc.), surprisingly, I don'tgee across it as often as one would expect. The pieces that I do find are usually very thin,shiny, and new (and are therefore tossed back into the lake to continuetheir weathering process). Ihave founda nicely frosted, jewelry quality citron-coloured piece approximately 50 times in the last4 years of intensive beach searches. I also refer to citron as "Mossy Yellow" in my glass auctions.
7. Aquamarine: This is the deep, aqua shade ofbeach glass, sometimes confused with turquoise. Aquamarine is more of a blue-green colour.Again, this colour is still readily produced today (liquor and other beverage bottles), and I usually find about 10 shards per week. Having said that, Iusually collect only1-2 pieces of aquamarine per week, and that is becausethat many of those pieces that I find each week aresomewhat new, with a less weathered look, and a shiny side ortwo.I usually toss these newer shards back into the lake with the hopes that in a decade or two, they will wash back ashore for a new generation of sea glass enthusiasts to collect and admire.I also refer to this colour in my glass auctions as "Robins Egg", a more fitting colour description! :)
8. Lavender:This colour ranges from Grape toAmethyst. Sincewhite/clear glass can turn tolavender after prolonged UV sun exposure, I find lavender shardsapproximately 3 times per week while conducting daily beach searches. The darker, more intenselavenders are included in my assorted glass auctions, while the more pale lavenders (probably the shards that were orginally white/clear) are used in my Pale Pastel auctions.
9. Mint: I usually find mint about 5 times per week, searching once to twice daily. In my glass auctions, I also refer to this colour as "Peppermint", or, if it's a bit darker, "Seafoam".
10. Cornflower:This colour is usually found approximately 10 times per week. This is another colour that tends to be found in tiny pieces, usually dime-sized or smaller.
11.Cobalt:The number ofcobalt pieces that have washed in over the yearsisdifficult to guess;however I would say that 1 inevery100 pieces of glass found would be cobalt.Similar tocornflower, cobalt is yet another colour that seems to wash in in very tiny pieces. The larger pieces (greater than dime-size) that I am fortunate enough to find are usuallyverychipped, or have at least one shiny side, indicating that the glass mass-produced in this colour was quite brittle.
12.Honey Amber: The number ofHoney Amber shards that have washed in over the years again is quite difficult to hazard a guess, but if I had to, I wouldestimatethat 1 in every60 pieces of glass found would be Honey Amber. This colour is a bit of an oddity on the north shore,sincealmost allof thepieces that I find in Honey Amber are quite thin and delicate (usually 2 mm in height or less),and havevery littleor no "frosting" on the surface. I also refer to this colour in my glass auctions as "Squash" or, if it's almost orange, "Pumpkin".
13. Soft Blue: I wouldestimate 1 in every 60 pieces of glass found would fall under this category.The easiest way to distinguish between a white or soft blue piece is to placeit in water. If the piecehas a distinct blue hue when wet, but thenwhen dried itlooks white, then thisshard would beconsidered Soft Blue. Most of the soft blue pieces that I find are used in my Pale Pastel auctions.
14. Lime: Approximately 1 in every 50 pieces of glass found on the north shore is lime. This colour is also referred to as "Electric Lime" in my glass auctions. I call it"electric", because if you are lucky enough during your beach search to find a shard inthis colour that isstill wet from the surf, it glows like a neon light against the dark backdrop of the sand and pebbles... avery neat beach glass phenomenon indeed!
14. Olive: Approximately 1 in every 50 pieces of glass found on the north shoreis olive. Olive is a colour that has a wide variety of hues, mostly based on the thickness of the glass. Shades ofolive can range all the wayfrom black up to alight sage.
14. Emerald: Approximately 1 in every 50 pieces of glass found on the north shoreis emerald. Emerald is an oddsea glass colour, as it isfalls somewhere in the middle of the sea glass spectrum. It is darker than the more gemon Kelly Green, but lighter than a typical Olive piece. A true emerald piece is a deep, vibrant green, very much like the precious gem stone by the same name!
15. Brown: Approximately 1 in every 10 pieces found is brown (also called "Chestnut" in my beach glass auctions).
15. Kelly Green: Approximately 1 in every 10 pieces found is Kelly Green (also called "Grass" in my auctions).
16. White (Clear): This is universally the most gemon colour of beach glass out there, regardless of what body of water you are on. Chances of finding white are excellent, with 1 in every 3 pieces of glass found being white.
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So there you have it, the North Shore Beach/Sea Glass Colour Rarity Rank.Hopefully this guidewill assist you in your selection and purchase of beach/sea glass from Lake Erie.
I encourage other sea glass enthusiasts to write their own Rarity Rank guides, as I thinkit would bequite interesting to seethe fluctuations insea glass colourrank based on geography.
If you haveenjoyed reading thisguide and found it to be helpful, please click on the "Yes" button just below, soothers can continue to be helped by this guide.
Thanks so muchfor reading!
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