Shells are found all over the world in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors making them a great choice for jewelry makers. They can be used alone or combined with beads or metal to create intricate pieces of art. Shells have been treasured for their beauty, rarity and spiritual meaning since ancient times. Some believe that having a seashell in the home protects against evil and bad spirits, others say that dreaming of a shell symbolizes a spiritual connection while jingle shells are associated with creativity and intuition.

Throughout history the most common use of shells in human adornment was for clothing and accessories. They could be made into hats, bags, necklaces, bracelets, earrings and more. They were also incorporated into decorative items such as furniture and other household objects. In more modern times inexpensive shell jewelry is often sold at tropical beach destinations to tourists as a form of casual wear and souvenir.

While many beachwear artisans use sand from popular tropical beaches to make a variety of colorful and beautiful necklaces it is the indigenous people of Ni’ihau that have perfected the art of traditional Hawaiian shell jewelry. This unique style of jewelry is created from shells that are collected on the remote island of Ni’ihau, the oldest and driest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. The shells are meticulously collected, sorted, cleaned and poked into complex patterns that can take years to complete.

Add some ocean inspired elegance to your curated ear stack with these Ellie silver huggie earrings in Ivory Mother-of-Pearl and Ari Heart gold studs in Ivory Mother-of-Pearl. Or, go big with a gorgeous strand of Momi, a type of dove shell (Euphemia varians) that is strung into long single strands up to 6 feet in length and worn as a wedding necklace or other special occasion. Shell Jewelry