Colours of the Beach

Colours of the Beach
An exhibition of glass bead necklaces made from found beach glass

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Colours of the Beach is more than a jewellery collection — it is a quiet act of storytelling and reclamation. This project traces the forgotten history of the Firth of Forth’s southern shoreline, from South Queensferry to Cockenzie, a stretch once marked by heavy industry, waste dumping, and working harbours. Today, its beaches still carry the traces — not only in rusting piers or broken brick, but in the small, wave-worn fragments of glass scattered along the shore.

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As an artist based in Leith, where the industrial past still shapes the present, I set out to collect glass from nine different beaches along this coastline. For the exhibition, I created a collection of necklaces made from these found pieces, transformed through the traditional lamp-working process — a technique using a gas torch to melt and shape the glass into individual beads. Each bead was handmade, each necklace unique, echoing the distinct character of the beach where the glass was found.

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The works were not just adornment. They were artefacts — made from what was once discarded, now reimagined. All 9 necklaces were displayed alongside hand-embroidered maps marking where the glass was collected. The maps were based on historical documents dated between 1885 and 1971, a nod to the possible origins of the glass and the long passage of time that brought it to shore.

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None of these necklaces are for sale but commissions using glass collected from these beaches are available. Please contact me for more details.