After a heavy rain or proper storm, you spot them right away: treasure hunters in flip-flops. Quietly shuffling along the shore, eyes fixed on that messy mix of sand, stones, and half the ocean. One’s after driftwood for the chicken coop, another grabs a shell for the living room. But the true hunters are after something small: a blue bead.

These little blue beads have a long history. They arrived on wooden ships and were used as currency and ‘rewards’ for enslaved people. Today, they still turn up along the shores and in the soil of Statia — tangible reminders of a complex past.

And it’s not just beaches. Anywhere the ground gets disturbed, one might pop up — on a building site, under a fallen tree, or in your backyard while digging a hole for a plant that probably won’t survive anyway.

The rules are simple: finders keepers. And you’ll be back, guaranteed, even if it’s “just to check if there’s something new.” Selling is a no-go, giving one away is rare. Asking for good spots? Forget it. Some beaches stay empty for years, others suddenly reward you — usually when you’re looking for something else entirely.