Antique TASMANIAN ABORIGINAL MAIREENER SHELL NECKLACE / LEI lavender - 66”

Description

Antique TASMANIAN ABORIGINAL
MAIREENER SHELL NECKLACE
/ LEI
lavender
- 66”
This is a stunning rare
antique
Tasmanian Aboriginal Maireener Shell
necklace / lei.
Most of my collection was purchased
over 15+ years ago from antique dealers in England and Australia.
The shells have bright flashes of blues and greens
with lavender
.
Some of the blue color is ink dye from over 100 years ago.
Most of the dye has worn away leaving the lovely natural nacre of the shell.
Please view my pictures
which are part of my description for measurements (inches and millimeters) and condition.
I enlarged the pictures so you can see details, but keep in mind the pics appear much larger than the actual shells.
All pictures were taken in daylight and were not adjusted for color so you can see the natural iridescence and variation of the shell nacre.
This lei was particularly difficult to photograph.
When it’s in shadow it shows deeper blues and greens, and when in the light, beiges and lavenders.
This coloration variance gives this necklace a magical quality.
Looking at the millimeter pics, the average size of these shells appears to range from
4-5 mm
.
Lei length is ~
66 inches total
if it were open ended (this has no clasp and is worn over the head).
Imagine all the shells needed to make a lei this long!
My pics show the lei wrapped 4x’s at 16.5 inches on the inches pic.
The lei is stranded on what appears to be old jute thread.
The shells look to be in good condition with some tips missing and some with holes.
There are some gaps in the jute but not many.
This is to be expected as these shells are antique and are rather fragile.
The Tasmanian aboriginal women call these
kelp shells
as the shells are found feeding on kelp beds that drift into the Bass Strait during ~ 3 weeks of Tasmania’s Spring season (in the USA that would be our Fall season).
The women
hand pic the shells off the kelp beds and remove the outer layer of shell to expose the natural nacre which is the pearl iridescence color you see.
After the shells are matched for size and color they are pierced for stranding. During the piercing process many of the shells break and become unusable.
It takes many years to collect enough shells to make a lei.
These lei are heirlooms of aboriginal art and are valuable and treasured worldwide.
This lei is sold AS IS
,
there are no refunds or returns.
I want only happy buyers
so please, if you would have any questions or need more pics, feel free to email me before you bid.
I will respond to you within 24 hours.
This listing is for USA buyers only
.
Payment is via PayPal only
, and is due within 24 hours of the end of the auction.
We do not start our packing process until after payment is received.
Shipping is FREE
via USPS Priority flat rate
small box with tracking and will be packed with great care.
I require signature for all items as evidence of receipt.
We do not combine shipping to assure we can place enough packing material in our box to protect the shells.
If more than one item is listed in the same listing, both items will be packed in the same box.
Our family
thanks you
for your interest in our shells collection.
We appreciate feedback so that we know you are happy.
It also helps other buyers too.
Have a blessed day!