Sea Glass Jewelry Kit

Wire-wrapping holds the glass in a wire cage (no hole drilled) — fast, no specialized tool, and the wire becomes part of the design. Drilling a hole (a diamond bit, under water, slowly) lets the glass bead onto a finding but risks cracking the glass. Wire-wrapping is the beginner's and the design-forward method; drilling is for the specific "bead" look. Start with wrapping.

A heavier gauge (20-22) for the frame (the structure that holds the glass) and a finer gauge (26-28) for the wrapping (the decorative coils that secure the frame). The two gauges work together — the frame holds, the wrap locks. Copper (the practice and the warm color) or sterling/gold-fill (the heirloom); the wire choice is both structural and aesthetic.

With a diamond-tipped bit, under water (to cool and to contain the glass dust), at low speed, slowly — a Dremel or a small drill press with a water bath. Drilling sea glass is a patient, wet process; force cracks the glass. Drill a small pilot then enlarge. The drilled glass beads onto a finding (a bail, an earring post); the drill opens the design but demands the patience.

The hardware that finishes the piece — ear wires (for earrings), bails (the cap that hangs a pendant on a chain), jump rings, chains. Base-metal for practice, sterling or gold-fill for the sellable piece. The findings match the wire's metal; a consistent metal (all sterling, all copper) reads as designed. The findings turn a wrapped piece of glass into a finished earring or pendant.