This is NOT sea glass. This is recycled glass. Here is its story...

There is an area of coastline on Maui where, between 100 and 200 years ago, people went to "dispose of" their trash.  Some of these areas eroded in a way that the glass, tableware, etc. quickly made its way to the ocean and began its transformation into sea glass. In other areas, the rubbish sat. Storms rolled in, packing the rubbish in with sand, dirt, thick mud and other sediment.  Grass grew over it and it became its own hillside.

On a hike, one day, I very accidentally discovered an area such as this. While I generally search for only surf tumbled glass, I felt equally enamored by this "dump glass." Most was broken, but smoothed slightly and patinated by weather and time. There were intact bottles, hand painted china and glass in almost every color of the rainbow.  Maybe it was just me, but I found it all so beautiful and interesting.

This was the day that the 'Ōpala Ombre was born. Trash was quite literally about to become treasure! What I collected, I took home to break up further and then left in the rock tumbler for about 4 weeks to get clean and smooth. To make the complete "ombre" I sometimes incorporate glass from my own everyday life in the form of alcohol bottles, perfume bottle, broken art glass, etc. 

As you scroll through the 'Ōpala Ombre images, you will see the glass as it looks both before and after tumbling. Every piece of glass (and shell) is, of course, different in shape, size, thickness, and has an incredibly unique (and mysterious) story. No two pieces will ever be alike...just like us!

'Ōpala Ombre Car Charms (approximately 5 inches long) are 5 pieces of machine tumbled recycled glass ('Ōpala means "trash" in Hawaiian) hand strung on either colorful nylon cord, and weighted at the end with a surf tumbled shell or Swarovski crystal. At the top, a silver ring allows for easy hanging with the included 2 inch ball chain connector. These sun catchers will sparky brilliantly in bright natural light and are perfect for hanging from your rearview mirror.

What a beautiful reminder that even broken, discarded, unwanted things can be made beautiful again with a little work and a lot of aloha...lemons into lemonade, rain into rainbows, trash into treasure.

Dimensions + Details

4-5 inches long

recycled glass + shell

metal ring + 2 inch long ball chain connector

hand strung on bonded nylon thread