The International Sea Glass Association (ISGA) was founded in 2006 by professional sea and beach glass collectors, authors, artisans, and retailers. ISGA offers Professional Memberships to enable artisans to connect with sea and beach glass enthusiasts and collectors, to promote genuine sea and beach glass, and to support the ISGA mission to educate the community about genuine sea and beach glass. The International Sea Glass Association offers Community Memberships to enable sea glass enthusiasts to engage with other collectors, artisans, and experts. Each year, the board selects non-profit organizations associated with protecting our waterways to receive charitable donations. 

Since 2006, ISGA has hosted numerous Sea Glass Festivals across the U.S. Every year, this is an opportunity for our Professional Members to meet other sea and beach glass enthusiasts, for beachcombers to learn from our lecture series, and for ISGA to further its mission to educate the public about real sea and beach glass. The event is held in a different location each year, with shows taking place in Connecticut, Ohio, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and California.

In the years since its founding, ISGA has donated over $15,000 to charities, including Mystic Seaport Museum, Project Oceanology, Mystic Aquarium Sea Research Foundation, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Clean Water Action, Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park, Friends of Cape May National Wildlife Refuge, Friends of First Landing State Park, Lake Erie Foundation, National Museum of the Great Lakes, New Jersey Audubon, Ocean Conservancy, Old Coast Guard Station Museum, The Wetlands Institute, Virginia Beach Aquarium Foundation, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

The primary goal of this not-for-profit organization is to establish a community of informed collectors and sellers who understand the characteristics and significance of genuine sea and beach glass. ISGA establishes guidelines to differentiate genuine from fake sea glass, and we offer our professional members and collectors educational materials via lectures, workshops, festivals, and online resources.

Our all-volunteer Board of Directors meets monthly to plan future events, admit new members, and create opportunities for our members to learn from each other and share their knowledge with the beachcombing community. 

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