The Shell: A World of Decoration and Ornament

About this book

The intricate beauty of shells has captivated humans through the ages. These gifts of nature have been put to an amazing array of uses - sharpened into tools ground to make medicines blown to make music. Shells were used as currency from the Americas through Africa to Asia and worn as amulets to bring fertility good fortune or protection from the evil eye. Above all the beauty of shells has fired the imaginations of artists and craftsmen and their work forms the lavish heart of this book. Ingrid Thomas explores this history of shell collecting and explains how shells can be collected responsibly today without harming marine environments. Complete with a worldwide directory of shell collections and grottos and a photographic glossary of shells this is the most comprehensive volume ever published on the extraordinary world of the shell.