What kind of shell-beads can you use to make jewelry?

First, let's see how to make jewelry with "real" shells.
The first picture shows earrings made with simple "ringtop " Cowries.

All you have to do is to glue a long head pin ( eye pin, if you wish to add dangles) and when it is glued make you own earwires.
it is fun and easy to make and a nice way to do something with these little sea shells you can bring in your suitcases from tropical beaches.

There are different types of cowries: "ringtop", "money "(light green shades) and beautiful "white" Cowrie.
You can also use for example white Bullets, Cypresa with their different motifs.

Here is another idea: take 10 to 15 shells like these cowries or tiny Hawaiin rice shells. Glue eye pins on their back.
When glued, make the second eye loop. On each side of each shell, put a small jump ring. You can make cute bracelets with different shells.

Shells can be drilled, cut and shaped in many different shapes. Heishi beads are very well know and you can find many necklaces or bracelets in beach's stores.
Blacklip, oyster, brown lip, silver mouth seashells are famous too and can be found in very interesting and unusual shapes.

The second picture shows earrings too made with mother of pearl.

The nacre can be shaped into coins, teardrops, tubes, flat round, leaves, flowers and cute fetishes.

We really like using mother of pearl for its iridescent shine and its silky texture ranging from pure white to ivory with sometimes shade of violet or purple.

These earrings are made with glass flower beads, Black Czech beads and flat plastic rondelles.
Flower beads are strung on long headpins. The mother's of pearl's coins were too narrow to string an head pin so we had to string a thin wire thread and close with crimp beads.

Quick how to : string the wire thread in the eye pin's loop, double it and string the coin, a small black bead, close with a crimp bead and trim. The earwires are made with a long eye pin on which we strung a black bead, a round glass flower and a black bead.
A flat rondelle is glued in the middle of the coin with a tiny seed bead with red, purple and black stripes inside. We like details!
Inexpensive and made in a snap!

As easy as 1-2-3 with a fun and creative spirit!

The last picture shows a new type of shell- beads: the white one have a shell base with a layer of nacre. The orange beads are dyed with a specific process. Both are beautiful and shiny.

Design Ideas