Necklace lei
Place: Hawaii
Category: Jewellery & adornment
shells, plant fibre, Hawaii, l. 20 cm, Inv. Oz 224
Humphrey No. 74 (?): ‘A Necklace made of small worn olive nut shells, from Sandwich Islands.’ (= Oz 243)
Humphrey No. 75: ‘Another [Necklace] composed of faded alatae shells, from ditto [Sandwich Islands].’ (= Oz 224)
Small shells are strung together on a cord made of a plant material (= Oz 243).
Sixteen snail shells are strung together on a plaited string (= Oz 224).
Concerning necklaces made of shell, Buck (1957: 542) noted: ‘The shells used for necklaces were the small and medium-sized marine shells, mostly cowrie, Nerita, and cone shells ... The simple technique consisted of threading the shells on a thread or fine cord of olona passed through an artificial hole, if such a hole was necessary, and the natural aperture of the shell.’ Inken Köhler
Source
Buck, Peter, Arts and Crafts of Hawaii, Honolulu, 1957.
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