Editing Seashell (section)

==== Personal adornment ====
[[File:Kikuyu woman traditional dress.jpg|thumb|upright|Use of [[gastropod shell]]s, specifically [[cowries]], in traditional dress of the [[Kikuyu people]] of [[Kenya]], Africa]]
[[File:Pearlykingandqueen.jpg|right|thumb|upright|A [[Pearly Kings and Queens|Pearly King and Queen]] in London]]
Whole seashells or parts of sea shells have been used as jewelry or in other forms of adornment since prehistoric times. [[Mother of pearl]] was historically primarily a seashell product, although more recently some mother of pearl comes from freshwater mussels. Also see [[pearl]].
* Shell necklaces have been found in Stone Age graves as far inland as the [[Dordogne]] Valley in France.
* Seashells are often used whole and drilled, so that they can be threaded like [[bead]]s, or cut into pieces of various shapes. Sometimes shells can be found that are already "drilled" by predatory snails of the family [[Naticidae]]. Fine whole shell necklaces were made by [[Tasmanian Aboriginal]] women for more than 2,600 years. The necklaces represent a significant cultural tradition which is still practised by [[Tasmanian Aboriginal|Palawa]] women elders. The shells used include pearly green and blue-green maireener (rainbow kelp) shells, brown and white rice shells, black cats' teeth shells and pink button shells.<ref>[http://www.nma.gov.au/collections/dulcie_greeno_necklaces Tasmanian Aboriginal shell necklaces] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612010907/http://www.nma.gov.au/collections/dulcie_greeno_necklaces/ |date=12 June 2011 }}, [[National Museum of Australia]].</ref>
* Naturally-occurring, [[beachworn]], [[cone shell]] "tops" (the broken-off spire of the shell, which often has a hole worn at the tip) can function as beads without any further modification. In [[Hawaii]] these natural beads were traditionally collected from the beach drift in order to make [[puka shell]] jewelry. Since it is hard to obtain large quantities of naturally-occurring beachworn cone tops, almost all modern puka [[shell jewelry]] uses cheaper imitations, cut from thin shells of other species of mollusk, or even made of plastic.
* Shells historically have been and still are made into, or incorporated into, necklaces, pendants, beads, earrings, [[button (clothing)|buttons]], [[brooch]]es, [[ring (finger)|rings]], [[comb|hair combs]], belt buckles and other uses.
* The shell of the large  "bullmouth helmet" sea snail, scientific name ''[[Cypraecassis rufa]]'', was historically, and still is, used to make valuable [[Cameo (carving)|cameos]].
* [[Nacre|Mother of pearl]] from many seashells including species in the family [[Trochidae]], [[Turbinidae]], [[Haliotidae]], and various pearly bivalves, has often been used in jewelry, buttons, etc.
* In London, [[Pearly Kings and Queens]] traditionally wear clothing covered in patterns made up of hundreds of "pearl [[Button (clothing)|buttons]]", in other words, buttons made of [[mother-of-pearl]] or [[nacre]]. In recent years however, the majority of "pearl buttons" are imitations that are made of pearlescent plastic.