jrier

One of my favorite ways to relax is to stroll beaches, enjoying the sounds of the water lapping, the warm breeze on my face, and looking for treasures ~ items that lakes and oceans have cast away. I began by simply collecting sea glass several years ago. Something about these pieces of glass drew me in, the history and mystery of each piece. Where had this piece of glass been? What had it been in it's original form? How old is this piece? After a while, I looked at my collection and thought What am I going to do with these beautiful pieces? Leaving them sit in a jar or bowl didn't seem to do them justice. So, I began creating jewelry. Along the way, I also began collecting fossils and unique stones (the upper peninsula of Michigan has many variations of stones and agates, especially, as well as horn coral fossils).

I really enjoy the creative process of designing a piece, and I feel an immense sense of satisfaction when a piece is complete. My style is somewhat eclectic ~ I put together whatever design strikes me at the moment. Just like in life, I tend to enjoy opposing styles depending on my mood, and I believe this shows in my designs. I enjoy working with leather and stone (for a more casual look and feel), to silver and sea glass (for a more classic look and feel). Because of this, my work tends to be different from other artists, as I never know for sure what designs will come to me.

My hope is that I am able to share with you ~ through my creations ~ a bit of the pleasure that I obtain from finding these treasures and creating beautiful pieces from them.

~ Jennifer Rier
Michigan artist

Also connect with me on Facebook and Twitter

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GiftsfromSea/

Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/535043923956037/

Twitter: @GiftsFromtheSea

A bit about sea glass:
Sea glass (also called beach glass or lake glass) is simply the surf-worn remains of old glass containers, the origins of which could be anything from perfume bottles, bitters, beer bottles, tableware, etc. The "value" of a piece can be appraised by several factors, including color (certain colors are very rare, while others are very common), size, shape, and how surf-worn it is. A larger piece of well-worn red is an extremely "valuable" piece, while a small less-worn piece of white is very common and generally less "valued". Items such as marbles are also rare, since they were typically highly valued toys and if one is found, it is likely from a shipwreck. Sea glass is becoming rarer by the day, due to heavy collecting and recycling, which makes any pieces found that much more exciting and valuable to the collector.