Mineral Oil for Sea Glass?

by Betty
(California)

1. Oiled sea glass vs natural sea glass

1. Oiled sea glass vs natural sea glass

I noticed that most peoples' sea glass is more vivid than mine and was told that some people rub their pieces with mineral oil to help bring out the color.


So I tried it and it does but it also kind of covers the frosty look of the glass.

Does anyone have any input on the mineral oil?

Thanks!

Betty



Hi Betty,

To bring out or accentuate the colors in your sea glass or beach glass, use a light oil. We recommend a light oil such as Tea Tree Oil or Organic Rose Hip Oil

The photos at the top show some difference between oiled and unoiled sea glass of the same color.

With a darker color like cobalt blue or brown in a dimmer light, the differences are much more notable.

Restoring the natural frosted look is easy. Scrub with a toothbrush and a little dish detergent and rinse well.

Beach glass is very sturdy so there is little chance of damaging it while cleaning it this way.

You can try both ways with your sea glass and decide which you like better depending on the situation; for example in a collection, for a photo shoot, or for jewelry.

You need to decide between the two options since there is no way to bring out more vivid color while retaining the frosted look.

The frost comes from tiny chips reflecting light back at your eyes. The oil fills in those tiny chip so cuts down on the "white" reflection, letting you see the color.

You can experiment with rubbing off much of the oil and perhaps arrive at a 50/50 look.

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