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Archaeologists think they have found evidence that in one respect people were behaving like thoroughly modern humans as early as 100,000 years ago: they were apparently decorating themselves with a kind of status-defining jewelry — the earliest known shell necklaces. Even in those ages, it was fashionable to create and wear Shell Jewelry. A little imagination and some effort can create exquisite jewelry.

Formed by sea animals for protection, shells become intriguing and beautiful objects once discarded. No two shells are ever alike, with shapes and bands of color of natural interest.

Shells have been collected and strung into necklaces to adorn royalty and to be worn at special ceremonies such as weddings and funerals. They were given to the deceased as a final goodbye to their loved ones. Nowadays they are donned for every occasion as a fashionable trend. Shell jewelries are beautiful reminders of nature’s beauty.

Making shell jewelry is not as easy as it seems. The tiny shells are first collected and if the shells are seasonal, months are spent collecting a reasonable quantity. Once the season is over, it is time to string them. Before this one has to perform the tedious task of sorting the shells into different colors and sizes and this is more time consuming than collecting them off the beach. Also usually almost every shell has a tiny rock or piece of sand that must be removed before piercing. One by one, thousands of shells are prepared with a tiny needle and one out of five is discarded due to some imperfection. The most laborious to gather, prepare and thread; they are naturally the most valuable. The length of the piece its colors and stringing method determine its price.

Innumerable varieties of shells and shell jewelry are to be found all over the world. All natural sea shell jewelry materials and natural shell components come from different kinds of fashionable sea jewels like puka, paua, troca, blacklip and brownlip, hammer, nautilus, Mother of Pearl or m.o.p. shell, shell pendants, raw shells, fashion shell jewelry and many others to make natural costume fashion body jewelry and natural shell jewelry.

Exotic colors emanate from the mother-of-pearl nacre of abalone and paua mollusks. These sea reef and rock creatures build the shells as they grow, with rings of colors gray, blue, green, pink and gold. Paua from New Zealand is more brilliant, with color found inside and outside the shell. The nacre inside mollusk shells, like oysters, has a pearly iridescence created by the animal's secretions. After being discarded, the hard inner shell surface is beautifully incorporated into jewelry.

Care
For the maintenance of your shell jewelry, it is recommended to return them to their place of origin. In other words, you can use salt water from the ocean with a toothbrush. If you are land-locked, mix some sea salt with water. If not, then simply taking a dive into the ocean with your shells on is the easiest way of restoring them to their natural beauty. Never apply chemicals or take them into chemically treated water.