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Surprising Sea Glass – A theme for 2026

February 7, 2026 by jgdefalco

Surprising Sea Glass – A theme for 2026

The longer I create with sea glass, the more interesting it becomes! I’ve been inspired by the incredible pieces of glass themselves, the new ways I am finding to use them, and the fact that more and more people are realizing this is a DIMINISHING resource and there’s a clear distinction between authentic glass and tumbled. That’s nothing new to the original group of sea glass makers but hearing that out on the streets is a pleasant surprise!

Design Surprises

First, it’s about the size of the pieces. Chunky, funky pieces have puzzled me for years. But now I am getting more comfortable with different drill bits and finding I can create a new series of pendants. I’ve even gone back into jars that I had given up for “too thick to conquer” and re-imagined some of the pieces.

Equally challenging are the pieces too small to use in jewelry. Late last fall, I also decided to play with two-part resin and attempt to create something functional with the really tiny pieces of glass. I made a series of coasters with some success and some that fall into the category of science experiments! My dearest friends received them as gifts with the caveat of being guinea pigs for the new designs. I hope to evolve this further and will likely have some “seconds” in my studio looking for a home!

Then it’s about color. I have SO much brown and brown glass is truly under-appreciated. So, this year will be about finding new ways to visualize brown. It’s a wonderful complement to lavender and light blue or deep blue. Look for more of these combinations and also a showcase of brown pieces that will stand on their own!

Surprising and Delighting Customers

Nothing makes me happier than a happy client. Over the holidays, I was able to make some custom pieces and will continue to do so using either my collection or that of a fellow sea glass collector.

One of the other ways that I’ve truly enjoyed working with clients, mostly women, is solving hair accessory challenges. Many women come into my studio sharing that they love barrettes, but can no longer wear them due to thinning hair. I have a solution or that – attaching a piece of leather on the inside to “grip” the hair and eliminate that feeling of the barrette falling off. Feel free to come and try something on and we’ll make it work!

Surprising Interest in Hair Accessories

All fashion has its moments. Long hair comes and goes, but I keep hearing that it’s back. Along with long hair, interest in accessories like hair forks and combs. I started this creative journey when short hair was “in” so you can only imagine how happy this makes me! My studio if FULL of new pieces. Come on down!

Join me up the coast (Portsmouth & Portland) for two exciting “meet the artist events!”

August 14, 2025 by jgdefalco

Media Advisory:

With over fifty years of history, the Maine Pottery Company (also known as Edgecomb Pottery) is constantly adding to its portfolio of artists and expanding its reach in New England. Among the newest of its artists is Jacqueline Ganim-DeFalco of Cape Ann Designs who began her sea glass journey in Gloucester, MA. over 30 years ago. As one of the featured artists in Carole Lambert’s Passion for Sea Glass, she has transformed her collection of authentic glass and historic pottery into a wide range of wearable art and most recently garden art. She is particularly known for her exquisite hair accessories and creative use of the most unusual formation of glass in her jewelry.

In her Artist Statement, Jacqueline shares this. “As a jewelry maker my goal is to achieve designs that are one-of-a-kind art pieces without disturbing the natural beauty and history of the found materials. I use only authentic sea glass and pottery most of which I have found on the shores of Cape Ann. Typically, the pieces use of multiple pieces or glass or use of elements such as sea marble, bottlenecks, pottery shards, and other rare sea glass types. In some cases, they are stacked and have a more architectural design.”

With each season, a new sub-collection is added focusing on a particular use of the materials resulting in clever statement pieces such as “Anchor Lariats” and “BottleNeck Beauties” showcasing the rarest forms of sea glass. Earlier this year, Boston’s WCVB, Chronicle visited her studio for a deep dive into her story.

As Jacqueline’s collection has expanded, so has her reach into galleries in the north east and the south. Her work can now be found in two of Maine Pottery’s locations – Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Portland, Maine. To celebrate this exciting collaboration, she will be available at two upcoming events to share the work in the store as well as additional work available during the event.

Maine Pottery invites you to meet Jacqueline on Friday evening, September 5^th, during the monthly first Friday Art ‘Round Town Gallery Walk from 5-8PM at the Portsmouth, New Hampshire location at 10 Pleasant Street and in Portland, Maine at Edgecomb Pottery at 145 Commercial Street on Sunday, September 21^st from 10-5.

About Jacqueline Ganim-DeFalco: Jacqueline began making in 2003 under the name “Beach Glass Barrettes” and gradually expanded her Cape Ann Designs collection. She has been a juried member of the Cape Ann Artisans Studio Tour since 2013. Her Cape Ann Designs collection can be found here at the Cape Ann Museum, the Fuller Craft Museum, Naples (Florida) Art Association, and many galleries in and around Boston. Recently she has also displayed her newer pieces, sea glass garden stepping stones and sculpture at the Cape Ann Museum, Cape Ann Blossoms show and Rocky Neck Art Colony.

Former Chair of seARTS, she is the founder of the seARTS Wearable Arts Group (2006). And launched Celebrate Wearable Art in 2011-2017. From 2020-2023, co-producing and co-hosting Cape Ann ARTWaves to help tell the stories of 75 Cape Ann Artists. In the community, she uses her skills to promote the creative economy. She was recognized for this work in 2018 -receiving the Discover Gloucester Arts & Cultural Heritage Award. Read more at CapeAnnDesigns.com.

About Maine Pottery Company: Maine Pottery Co. is built on a foundation of resilience, community, and artistry. We are more than a pottery company; we are a family with a passion for creating beautiful, handcrafted pieces that bring joy to people’s everyday lives. From our roots in a tiny schoolhouse to nearly 50 years of craftsmanship, every piece of pottery we create tells a story—of hard work, of love, and of Maine.

Studio News and Summer Musings

June 27, 2025 by jgdefalco

This has been a busy creative summer in and out of the studio. I am back to making garden stepping stones and sculpture now that I have new places to sell them. Sea Meadow Gifts and Garden is a perfect home for my steppingstones alongside other wonderful garden décor outside this fun gift shop. I have recently been setting up small displays around town in places that are easily accessible to visitors – the most recent is the Emerson Inn in Rockport. Please pop in an take a look if you are out and about. Outside of Cape Ann, I am working my way up the coast!

During the recent tour and throughout the years, I’ve noticed something interesting. Some of my original designs are still among the most popular. It’s always good to see how people react from year to year. So, I am turning the expression “in with the new and out with the old” on its head. It’s really about “In with the new and don’t get rid of the old!” One of my most loved designs with a tri-color earring that usually has a piece of pottery and two pieces of glass. The combination of the two really makes these earrings stand out in a crowd.

I just sorted all my pottery to pull out the small chards of blue and white and it’s quite a spectacle! Out of all this chaos sprang new combinations of blue and white pottery, blue, and white glass, several pair of earrings, and a series of new alligator clips. Something about this color combo resonates with everyone, so I guess I will keep these in the collection for a long time!

Here is the photo progression of the raw materials through the final product! Enjoy.

Please give me a call (978-283-8333) to visit and enjoy some time in the studio. I am going to bring back “Friends and Family Fridays” on Friday afternoon and do my best to open from 2-6PM to catch people on their day off or on their way to a beach weekend on Cape Ann.

Spreading Sea Glass up the Coast! On the map with New Hampshire and Maine.

June 27, 2025 by jgdefalco

Inspired by the incredible feedback I had resulting from the Chronicle episode and from individual and group studio visits over the last few years I made a commitment to myself to get my work out to more locations. Over the winter, I expanded my reach down south. Now it’s time for New Englanders to come out and play. With a big push out the door, I hit the road with my work and landed in two new places this week!

A visit to Edgecomb Potters in Damariscotta, Maine launched a new relationship with the Maine Pottery Company in Portsmouth, NH and Portland, ME. After several hours of sharing work with their team yesterday, they have work on display as of today, June 27th. What a fabulous team of dedicated artists who run the stores! I feel confident that they will represent my work well. Please visit these wonderful galleries that are showcasing a wide range of pottery and many other incredible artisan works from all media.

Exciting new places to find Cape Ann Designs!

June 17, 2025 by jgdefalco

There’s nothing more exciting than launching my work out into the universe! Now that we’ve kicked off the season with the Cape Ann Artisans Spring Tour, I want to make my work available to as many people as possible in key locations. If you are visiting Rockport, check out my new display at the Emerson Inn near the front desk.

A great way to pick up a memento of your visit to Cape Ann. The Emerson has a new chef and great plans for the summer including several Moonrise parties! If you are looking for my Garden Steppingstones in particular, I am thrilled to have a wide selection now at Sea Meadow Gifts in Essex! Georgeanne is doing a wonderful job displaying them right out front. Pop into the fun gift shop and be delighted by all she has tucked away inside. She will also have alligator clips, earrings, and other hair and jewelry pieces from my collection for sale inside the jewelry case.

And if you just walked the beach and didn’t hit the tide right to find sea glass, then you can stop at the front desk of the Vista near Good Harbor Beach and pick up a bag of sea glass! And of course, you can visit my studio by appointment or during our summer, Cape Ann Artisan Mini-Tour just announced on Saturday, August 9th.

Exciting Moments with @Chronicle5’s Visit to Cape Ann Designs!

May 2, 2025 by jgdefalco

On March 31 and the morning of April 1, I had the great honor of hosting the team from Chronicle5 in my studio. It all began with a humble “form” that the producer filled out on my website and found its way into my email in early March. I was a bit suspicious that this was just too good to be true – but it was the real deal. Lucky for me, they decided to focus on Gloucester and I was the first person with whom they spoke. I did my best to recommend a wide variety of Gloucester’s interesting places and people with interesting stories. But they had done their research and to their credit, they are fabulous as digging up the great stuff.

And so, how to prepare for this? Honestly, they really did not give me any guidance. I just knew they wanted me to do a demonstration of making work. That in itself was a challenge as nothing happens in a 5-minute period – but usually takes a week or more. So, I set about to make all types of hair accessories and jewelry in various stages. The next challenge was doing a low tide sea glass walk. So, just as mother nature would have it, that had to be on APRIL 1st at 8AM. In case you don’t remember this cruel April Fool’s joke, it was 34 degrees with 30MPH winds that day. Putting the microphone under my jacket to hide it from the wind really didn’t make a difference. Kendyl, Richard, and I were frozen on Niles Beach! I didn’t find too much sea glass that day – but they were great about letting it be as it is – a diminishing resource.

Erika Tarantal was a delight. With her family background in the arts, she was a perfect companion to work with me on a piece. Honestly, we really had fun – and I did everything possible to make their visit easy and be responsive to their questions and helped with any introductions. I was thrilled they visited Rocky Neck Cultural Center and the Salted Cod for the art-focused segment. It’s not easy to create the off-season picture for Gloucester – yet truly, this is the most prescious time of year for many of us. Equally, the incredible focus on GMGI, Backyard Growers, the Bowling Alley, the Beauport, and Joey of GMG’s tour of downtown show the diversity of our community. Key word here is COMMUNITY – a place we love calling home. Following are links to the art-focused video and the other videos for all to share!