Em’s Gems
Started by two friends named Emily who share a love for finding treasures along the North Shore of Minnesota, specifically Lake Superior agates and sea glass. Our business started as a hobby and is continuing to grow into more than we ever thought was possible. We are constantly inspired by the Big Lake and her North Shore. Lake Superior is a very special place and we believe it is even more special to wear a piece that was curated by Lake Superior herself.
In addition to creating jewelry, we are both committed to sustainability and eco-friendly business practices. We offer minimal packaging, recyclable packaging, and local drop offs. All stones are sourced locally with our own two hands. By using local sea glass we are doing our part to remove glass pollution from Lake Superior and give it a second life.
Sea Glass
Sea glass is formed in bodies of water all around the globe. Sea glass begins as glass from broken bottles, jars and tableware from shipwrecks, natural disasters, and even downright littering. The glass that was once rigid, becomes smooth and rounded by physical and chemical weathering processes from the tides and sediment over many years.
Sea glass takes many forms of different shapes and colors. The most common color is frosty white or transparent, due to the large amount of glass produced in that color. Some more exciting colors include green, teal, cobalt blue, red, yellow and faint purple. These all vary by the rarity of finding each color.
Lake Superior Agates
Around 1.1 billion years ago, North America began to split apart and created the Lake Superior basin. Lava began to spill into this basin, creating the beautiful exposed bedrock along the North Shore of Minnesota. As this lava cooled quickly, the rising air bubbles within it became trapped. Over millions of years, water interacted with these void spaces depositing quartz, iron, and other minerals in various layers. These layers resulted in the “banding” that agates are famous for. During the millions of years of glaciation in and around the Lake Superior basin, these agates were plucked from the bedrock they were trapped in. As the glaciers advanced and retreated, they brought these agates with them. This is why you can find agates from the shores of Lake Superior all the way down to Iowa! The Lake Superior agate is thought to be one of the oldest kinds of agate in the world.
Agates show up in hundreds of different varieties based on the conditions set in place during their formation. They also get their color from the impurities found in the water solutions that were transported in the beginning stages. The reason that Lake Superior agates are most often colored with red, brown, yellow, or gray impurities is because the region is extremely iron-rich. However, Lake Superior is not the only place where agates can be found. In fact, they can be found in thousands of locations on every continent!
