The Ocean Has Polished Our Broken Glass And Turned Into Treasure

Much of the glass humans have broken and thrown away throughout history has ended up in the ocean. Luckily, unlike plastic, glass is a natural material made out of sand, that eventually turns back into sand once it has eroded into tiny enough pieces. Before it breaks all the way back down into sand, it is tumbled by the ocean into these dazzling little stones called “sea glass.”

Typically, this sea glass is created from the glass from broken bottles, broken tableware, or shipwrecks. These shards of glass are later rolled with the tides of the ocean for many decades until they lose the sharpness. The result is a smooth and round piece of glass, just like any rock you'll find on the beach. The shards also lose their slick surface and look like they're frosted. This rolling process can sometimes last about 100 years.