Pink seaglass tops the charts as a rare sea glass colour. Soft and feminine, the few pieces of pink seaglass we source are always highly coveted and don’t spend long with us before being purchased.
However, pink glass wasn’t always a luxury item. Much of the pink seaglass we find today most likely comes from Depression Glass - made in the 1930's and marketed as affordable glassware. For a homemaker trying to pinch every penny, the intricate patterns and soft sunset pink colour provided something beautiful for just pennies a piece. Movie theaters, carnivals, and even cereal manufacturers used these glass pieces as premiums – your movie ticket came with the next piece for your collection!
So, how is pink glass created? Selenium can be added to clear glass in tiny amounts to clarify it (make it more clear and colourless). However, in larger amounts it can give glass that blushing, rosey color. And, of course, gold was added to glass (and still sometimes is) to create a lovely raspberry colour. And if more is added, then a deep ruby red. In some instances, a chemical reaction takes place between the selenium and the ultraviolet rays of the sun, making an already pink piece of glass even brighter.
The availability of pink sea glass is now very limited and is highly valued for use in sea glass jewellery. It is ironic that the once cheap pink glass is now by far the most valuable of all. We love to know that our customers get truly excited by our one of a kind and rare pink seaglass pieces, just as the original glassware was once adored. Now, like then, people still love the soft happy colour of pink glass and fortunately it complements every skin tone. We just wish more of it was collected, but the fact it is a rare treasure makes it all the more special.
