As a jeweller, I love working on custom projects, and this one was by far the most interesting! I was asked to create a custom pendant from a sea glass doll's eye that my Instagram follower Melissa (@seashore_mudlark_) found washed up on one of her local beaches in Massachusetts, USA. If you love sea glass hunting content, definitely give her a follow!

This doll's eye is actually made of glass! Before plastic became popular in the mid-20th century, doll eyes were crafted from glass and hand-painted. I provided Melissa with 3-4 design sketches, and she chose a coin-style pendant with the sea glass doll's eye as the centerpiece.

I'm thrilled with how it turned out—even better than my original sketch!

Because Melissa has such an active and inspiring Instagram presence in the sea glass community, I decided to interview her so we can all learn more about her collecting adventures and what makes sea glass hunting so special.

Interview with Sea Glass Hunter Melissa Arvilla of @seashore_mudlark_

Tell us a little bit about you. Who is Melissa Arvilla and what is @seashore_mudlark_ about?

I'm just a seaglass addicted beachcomber that loves to hunt and share my finds and beach experiences with anyone who's interested. I had my first seaglass find in the 3rd grade on treasure island in California.

My dad was tube fishing/pumping ghost shrimp and I was walking on the sand and spotted a frosty grass green bit of sea glass.

I loved it and was instantly curious and addicted. My wife has been along for quite a lot of my beachcombing journey and prompted me to share some of my finds with others online somehow, so I started my YouTube channel 3 years ago...and soon added my Instagram account. Both with the name @seashore_mudlark_.

For those who do not know, what is "mud larking"? and how did you get into it?

Mudlarking by definition is scavenging for items of interest in exposed foreshore of harbors and rivers at low tide.

Where do you go mudlarking? Can you share the names of the places? and what type of treasures do you go?

I mudlark locally any public area of Gloucester Harbor. My favorite spots are Beacon Marine Basin, Cripple Cove, and Rocky Neck. 

What is it that you love about sea glass? What does it mean to you?

The alluring glow of a perfectly frosted sea glass gem gets me every time no matter the color. Though I do love finding rare and unusual finds, my most favorite sea glass finds are well frosted/ rounded teardrop shapes..i like to call (mermaid tears)

How many pieces of sea glass do you own and what is your favourite sea glass colour and why?

I have probably found thousands of pieces of seaglass during my lifetime of collecting, but I probably only have a few hundred pieces in my keepers stash. My favorite seaglass color to find is peachy pink/pinks because of the rarity....but also because pink pieces often have neat patterns on them.

What are your top tips for finding sea glass for someone just starting out?

Some of my tips for finding sea glass are to find a beach with scree (rocky terrain). Sea glass tends to get caught up amongst the rocks making it a good place for it to be found. Wear shoes or sandals because rocky scree is usually not comfy for bare feet. Go on new adventurous if it looks like a good place. Take a wander. I have found some great spots doing this. My favorite tide is one to two hours after full high tide (but really ill go any tide).

Tell us about the day you found the doll's eye sea glass? What did it mean to you? Why choose that for jewellery?

I found the seaglass dolls eye on my favorite beach pavilion beach on an early morning beach trip before work. Finding a complete doll eye is on my bucket list but finding this iris shard was quite magical. Also any doll part is a favorite find for me. I chose to make this a piece of jewelry because I've always had an all seeing/evil eye charm in my collection and thought why not have one made from one of my own beachfound dolls eye shards (I have 3).

What do you think of the final dolls eye sterling silver pendant? How will you be wearing / styling it?

I absolutely love the final pendant/charm,and can't wait to wear it alone or with some other favorite bits on my mermaid necklace.

Follow Melissa @seashore_Mudlark_