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Shell jewelry isjewelry that is primarily made fromseashells, the shells ofmarinemollusks. Shell jewelry is a type ofshellcraft. One very common form of shell jewelry isnecklaces that are composed of large numbers ofbeads, where each individual bead is the whole (but often drilled)shell of a smallsea snail. Numerous other varieties of shell jewelry are made, includingbracelets andearrings.
As well as sea snail shells, shell jewelry also sometimes uses the shells of clams (bivalves) and tusk shells (scaphopods). Occasionally shell jewelry is made from the shells of non-marine mollusks such as the shells ofland snails,[1] or the shells of freshwater mollusks. Not all shell jewelry is made from whole shells; some kinds are made from parts of shells, including the shell layer known asmother of pearl ornacre, and the "trapdoor" oroperculum which is part of some sea snails.
In recent times, inexpensive shell jewelry is often found at tropical beach destinations, where it is offered to tourists as informal wear, or as asouvenir. However, shell jewelry has a very ancient past, and is of great importance inarcheology andanthropology. In fact, shell beads are the oldest form of jewelry known, dating back over 100,000 years.
The oldest known jewelry in the world consists of two perforated beads made from shells of the sea snailNassarius gibbosulus. These beads were discovered atSkhul in Palestine, and were recently dated to between 100,000 and 135,000 years ago.[2][3] Similar ornaments (some made from shells ofNassarius kraussianus and the bittersweet clamGlycymeris nummaria as well as fromNassarius gibbosulus) have been discovered at a number ofMiddle Paleolithic sites, and are considered a key piece of evidence for the theory that earlyanatomically modern humans in Africa and the Levant were more culturally sophisticated than had previously been thought.[4][5][6] In some cases shells had been transported a considerable distance from the species' natural habitat. One example is the site ofOued Djebbana in Algeria, for example, where anN. gibbosulus bead was found; at the time the shell was used there, this site was at least 190 km away from the sea.[3]
Shell ornaments were very common during theUpper Paleolithic, from 50–40,000 years ago onwards, when they spread with modern humans to Europe and Asia. They generally take the form of perforated shells (as well as other hard organic material such astooth,bone,antler andmammoth ivory) which are thought to have been suspended and used as jewelry. The most commonly found species areHomalopoma sanguineum,Littorina obtusata,Cyclope species,Nassarius mutabilis andNassarius gibbosulus. Fossil shells were used alongside those of contemporary species. Some shells were stained withochre. In Europe, the shells of bothAtlantic andMediterranean species were used, again circulating over distances of hundreds of kilometers.[7] During theNeolithic period shellnecklaces were made with the shells of 3 generaSpondylus,Glycymeris andCharonia.[8]
Media related toJewellery made with sea shells at Wikimedia Commons