When I got home today on the 11:00 boat I couldn’t wait to unpack, check out mail, put away groceries and get down to work on drilling some pieces of the sea glass I got in the mail last week.
It was not quite as easy as I had imagined. I drill beach rocks all the time, but I drill sea glass much less frequently. Of the 9 pieces of sea glass I partially drilled, 3 of them split or cracked. I tried two different kinds of diamond drill bits. One a core bit and one a solid bit. I have a feeling I’m going to have to practice much more patience when drilling this sea glass; slowing down even more than I think I need to. I don’t have a feel for which bit works better, or if it makes any difference at all.
Strange that the piece above cracked on perpendicular planes, yet did not break apart. I tried dropping it on the counter, dropping it on the floor, and then throwing it on the floor. It did not break. I’ll see what happens on Thursday when I drill the last third of the hole, starting from the opposite end of the glass. Even if it doesn’t break, the cracked lines through it are not very attractive.
I think I have more to learn about this than I originally thought I would. Okay then. An unplanned learning curve. Bring it! The glass is gorgeous and I want to drill it and use it.
Barbara S Fernald Jewelry 
Good luck with this new challenge! The beads will be so beautiful!
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Thanks Carla. I am excited to start working with the new pieces when I finish drilling them.
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I enjoy your posts so much and your generous sharing of experiences, up or down. Thank you for being a part of my days.
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Thank you for reading my blog, Cathy! Comments like yours help me keep at it when I think about skipping a few days.
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well, rats. strange. did ANY work?
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Some are working. That’s why I think it’s technique-related.
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I kind of like the crack. Maybe if you built some type of metal clay bezel for it, it might work in a piece. The glass is so stunning after all.
PS Thanks for all your thoughtful comments on my blog. I really appreciate it.
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I have no experience bezel setting stones, with the exception of one piece where I did it to learn the technique years and years ago. I never liked it. I love other people’s bezel settings of course! My friend Lisa Hall does stunning work with sea glass. http://lisahalljewelry.com/seaglass.html
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