As the raw glass is broken into smaller pieces and slowly polished by the sand as it is rolled around in the surf, it becomes sea glass.
sea glass of gemstone quality.
The pits in the surface of the glass, giving it its soft feel, come from a process called "hydration", where the soda and lime used in making the glass is leached out of the glass, leaving the small pits. The soda and lime also often react with minerals in the sea water, forming new mineral deposits on the surface that give the glass a "sparkling" appearance.