Bilbao - Sea Glass Treasures from the Tide

Photographs and text copyright 2014 by Cindy Bilbao All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages. Published by The Countryman Press, P.O. Box 748,
Woodstock, VT 05091 Distributed by W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.,
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110 Sea Glass Treasures from the Tide
978-1-58157-209-4
978-1-58157-687-0 (e-book) I want to say thanks to my husband, Del, and our children, Gene and Taylor, for without their patience, I would not have been able to finish this book.

Im thankful that my son and daughter love the beach as much as I do. May we have many more beach moments together in the future. A word of thanks to Rachel Dombrowski and Rebecca Boyer for their invaluable help. Most of all I want to thank my mom, Barbie Rightmyer, who has been the greatest influence on my developing passion for sea glass. Whether pouring rain or freezing cold, she is by my side on the beach, searching for treasures, and we love every minute of it together! A colorful collection of sea glass presides over a shipwreck located in Cape May, New Jersey. I became fascinated with sea glass many years ago, after learning about it from an article in a magazine.

Once I began finding pieces, I started collecting it. However, for me, collecting wasnt satisfying enough. I wanted to capture the memory of the moment when I first spied each piece on the beach, how it glistened in the sand and how the color glowed in the sunlight. Since Im never without my camera, I began photographing my sea glass treasures. The results were most satisfying; I was able to focus on the individuality of each piece while also capturing the magical moments of beachcombing. Sea glass is a rare treasure brought to the beach by the surging tides. Sea glass is a rare treasure brought to the beach by the surging tides.

For the people who seek it out, it holds value derived from their experiences at the beach. It represents an emotional connection to the shore. But sea glass also holds intrinsic value because of the mysteries it carries. A quality piece is oldit has been submerged in the ocean waters for many, many years until the sharp edges have become smooth and rounded. Questions about what it used to be in its original form, where it came from, and how it ended up on a particular beach all beg to be answered for the person who found it. Then there are the physical characteristics of sea glassno two pieces are exactly the same.

Color, markings, shape, and patina (or weathering) will vary from one piece to the next, making each unique. Finally, sea glass is treasured for its beauty, which is the reason, after all, that it ends up in glass jars on the windowsills of our homes, and why it is presented here for youso you can see the infinite beauty it possesses. Fearsome fish Rare citron-colored sea glass resembles seaweed on the beach. This piece was found on Marthas Vineyard. Luminescence I photographed these pottery shards in a bubbled jar to mimick the way they would look as they tumbled in the surf. Extremely rare red sea glass This ceramic shard has the blue and white coloring typical of Chinese export pottery.