Cowrie Shells with Open Backs - Pack of 50 - Belly Dance DIY

Cowrie shells for tribal fusion belly dance costuming or other DIY projects. Use these packets of 50 cowrie shells to adorn tribal belly dance costuming and accessory DIY projects. The open backs make it easy to sew these little gems to any textile item, or simply glue them in place. One of the most common and powerful amulets to be found, cowrie shells have been used for millennia for embellishing clothing and other personal items and were often used as currency in the tribal world. Today they are still used as a symbolic display of wealth. One of nature's oldest and most treasured amulets, cowries have found their way around the world. White shells shine under stage lighting!

A cowrie is the shell of a tiny mollusk, or sea snail, that lives in the tropical waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Item No. DMS0001
Packet Size:  50 pieces
Shell Size:  About 7/8 of an inch long by 5/8 of an inch wide.  There will be natural variation.  
Color:  Natural variations of white, cream, tan
Attachment:  Sew through open backs on each end of shell.
Additional Info: The shells in these packets have been newly collected and opened.
Country of Origin: India
Condition: Newly gathered and opened.

Photos are representative. You will receive similar pieces to those shown in the photos on this page in the quantity indicated. Please look at photos carefully to judge size and color.  This is a natural product, some variation is to be expected .  Our tribal cowries are gathered and opened in India. 

These natural shells have had the backs sliced open to allow for the shell to lay flat and be sewn in place on each end by passing your needle through and around the shell and back through your fabric.  There is a natural groove on each end of the shell that the thread will fit into.  The shells are opened by hand and there will be some variation in the size and placement of the opening.  They are real shells and can become chipped or can break if dropped or crushed.