Making the most of the ocean's treasures

During August's hot summer nights, it's almost a certainty one can find Sashary Rivera working diligently behind her makeshift work station on the screened porch of her Rehoboth apartment.

No matter if it's midday, evening, late night or even the wee hours of the morning, Rivera will be there soldering, smithing, hand sawing and putting her personal stamp on her latest piece of sea glass jewelry.

Love That Rincon Glass is the result of hard work, determination and Rivera's love for sea glass and handcrafting jewelry.

“It was a hobby,” said Rivera, who perks up and speaks quickly in a Puerto Rican accent when talking about her jewelry. “Where I come from sea glass is everywhere. Collecting it was like therapy. I've been collecting sea glass since I was a kid.”

Sea glass is glass that has been disposed of in the ocean, whether bottles, automobile tail lights or traffic lights. The motion of the ocean erodes the glass over time, creating rounded, frosty stones. Sea glass comes in myriad colors, but some are more rare than others. Orange, purple and red are some of the most unusual and highly sought after.

Rivera is a native of Rincon, a small surfing town on the west side of Puerto Rico. Her mother is also a crafty person, who despite working long hours as a police officer, now retired, always found time for arts and crafts.

Rivera started by making jewelry for friends and family. Then she started getting more and more requests.

“After a couple of years, I thought I might as well get something out of it,” she said.

Three years ago, Love That Rincon Glass was created. Rivera now sells her pieces on Etsy, Facebook, Instagram and Pintrest. Her jewelry is also sold in Puerto Rican boutiques and the Ritz Carlton in Dorado Beach, P.R.

If not already busy enough, Rivera also works as a server at Arena's Cafe on Coastal Highway and at a(Muse.) on Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth Beach.

Rivera has been coming to Rehoboth for six summers. She spends about half the year in Delaware and the other half at home in Puerto Rico. Winter is the peak season in her hometown; it’s also the best time of year to find sea glass, as the restless ocean churns and kicks up the glass that's been sitting on the bottom during the calmer summer months.

Sea glass is much more prevalent in Puerto Rico than in the Cape Region. Rivera said environmental laws around the world have limited what can be put into the ocean, so countries with stricter laws have seen a significant decline in the occurrence of sea glass on their beaches.

Rivera only uses Puerto Rican glass in her jewelry. It's part of the charm, she said.

“Sea glass when it comes from different places, it will have different textures, shapes and colors,” she said. “Sea glass from the Caribbean is not going to look the same as the kind you find in the UK.”

Rivera said there are experts who can look at a piece of sea glass and tell you where it came from and likely what it was.

Rivera's process for making jewelry can take anywhere from a few hours to several days, depending on the complexity of the piece. From start to finish, Rivera builds the piece entirely by hand, using only a dremel tool at the very end to polish the final product.

Rivera went to college for chemistry and admits, aside from a few parallels, jewelry making has little to do with her former major. To improve her jewelry making skills, Rivera took a class with Monique Michelle, an alumni of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. Michelle is a jewelry designer who's been working in Puerto Rico for more than 25 years.

“She's very good at what she does,” she said.

Rivera was recruited to come to Delaware by Arena's manager Kim Dare. Dare and her husband are yearly visitors to Puerto Rico and struck up a friendship with Rivera.

“I loved [the Cape Region] the first time I moved in,” she said. “This has been one of the most friendly and welcoming places I've ever been. Everyone is very open-minded and warm-hearted. Everyone asks me why I keep coming back every summer. I say, 'Why not?'”