The Sunrise Seashell
The Sunrise Seashells of Hawaii
These little rays of sunshine in shell form are pretty special. They are endemic to Hawaii meaning they are found no where else in the world. The shells belong to a scallop known as the Langford Pectens. It is legend that these seashells were once only worn by Hawaiian royalty (ali'i). The name sunrise comes from the most common color variation of the shell that resembles the colors of a Hawaiian sunrise. These seashells used to be far more abundant where they could be found on seashores which is not the case anymore. The growing demand for these seashells have created a major market for them. Divers collect and sell them for a pretty penny. This is the reason why you can expect to pay a high price for just one of these shells because they are not easy to come by. Where once beachcombers had the chance to get lucky and find one on the beach, nowadays it is rare. In fact, these shells can only be found on the beach after a swell brings the dead scallop shells to shore from 300 foot depths. The most common colors are various shades of yellow, orange, and pink. The more rare of the colors are blues, greens, and grays which are called moonrise versions. See picture below for sunrise (left) and moonrise (right) versions.
I myself own one sunrise shell pendant that was given to me as a gift. I cherish this shell because to me it is a true gift from the ocean and something I can wear in connection to it. Photos below are of my sunrise shell. The top part is a Tahitian pearl. I hope to someday get a moonrise one to go along with my sunrise!
I LOVE sunrise seashells! I actually didn't know that these are only found in Hawaii, that definitely makes the, that much more special. I have a couple of my own, one similar to yours with the Tahitian Pearl attached to it. I would totally be lucky if I were able to find a shell of my own, I've tried a number of times out in the North Shore. I haven't had any luck with that though.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE sunrise seashells! I actually didn't know that these are only found in Hawaii, that definitely makes the, that much more special. I have a couple of my own, one similar to yours with the Tahitian Pearl attached to it. I would totally be lucky if I were able to find a shell of my own, I've tried a number of times out in the North Shore. I haven't had any luck with that though.
ReplyDelete(my comment above was published from unkown)
I love sunrise shells! My mom told me a story once that after she gave birth to my sister and I she found two sunrise shells at once on the beach one morning. She is native Hawaiian and saw it as a sort of symbolism for the birth of her two daughters. My mom is a jeweler and owns a shop in Haleiwa which she has some gorgeous sunrise earrings and pendants as well as a separate line of jewelry made by her friend which are more vintage-style.
ReplyDeleteI have never found one in good condition on my own yet, only pieces of broken ones. My boyfriend has tons of jars of sunrise shells because he free-dives and swims with sharks for a living! I haven't gone with him to dive for shells yet because I always fear he will trick me into shark infested waters (ha ha!) but I hope I get the courage to go soon enough and start a collection of my own! I love your pendant. Thanks for sharing!