Comparing artificial to pure sea glass "is like comparing cubic zirconia to a diamond," Kuhn says. "It's very distressing to see people pay a lot of money for a fake piece of sea glass."

The best way to establish that what you have is pure is to pick it out of a lake or ocean on your own. Other than that, Kuhn says to look for pure sea glass to have rounded edges and frosting, as well as small, naturally formed C-shaped pits that are difficult to duplicate.

A simple way to make sea glass into jewelry is to turn your finds into pendants. Robin Servo, a jewelry and metalsmithing instructor at the Birmingham Bloomfield (Mich.) Art Center, did a recent drop-in workshop where she and the students affixed wire to artificially tumbled sea glass and formed a loop so the glass could be hung on a leather or metal chain.

Expert sea glass jewelers like Mickevicius and Kuhn can also integrate sea glass into bracelets, earrings and rings. Other than jewelry, people have used sea glass in mosaics, suncatchers, candleholders and ornaments. Others use jars to compile their handfuls of sea glass, each vessel serving as decor with a story.

Best places to hunt for sea glass

Historically active waterfront sites, known to have shipping traffic.

Areas where shipping channels come close to shore or where small boat traffic is active.

Shorelines that receive the prevailing winds of the region.

Locations along the shore where locals discarded household items years ago.

Shorelines with an abrasive surface at water's edge that often experience strong onshore winds. (Moving water and rough terrain create ideal conditions.)

Source: "Pure Sea Glass: Discovering Nature's Vanishing Gems" by Richard LaMotte.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.