This cowrie shell has been rescued from old vintage jewellery to be set into sterling silver in a striking hand fabricated necklace which celebrates ocean life and the need for eco-consciousness. It sits alongside my other eco-conscious jewellery which uses beach finds like sea glass and sea pottery.

The cowrie shell was kindly donated to me and transformed using silversmithing skills and tools into a traditionally set piece of jewellery. The sterling silver has been textured around the lip using hand stamping and given a darkened patina in the grooves to really highlight them and create a frame around the beautiful, natural shell.

The cowrie shell has a wonderfully colourful history and has been used for thousands of years in various forms; as money, in trade, as pieces in games, in astrology, as prized charms to signify fertility and good fortune and, of course, decoratively in jewellery. This kind is the beautiful porcelain variety.

The pendant has a shiny polished finish and comes with a 16” sterling silver chain.

Measures: 2cm x 1.5cm
Materials: Sterling silver, fine silver, cowrie shell
Finish: Shiny/polished