Making my beach inspired jewelry

The process involved for making my puka shell necklaces involves a bit of time, from collecting them on the beach which just so happens to be a favorite pastime and is also very therapeutic and relaxing.  I have been collecting these shells for 17 years on and off and it does seem like they are getting harder to find. Certain times of year seem to be better than others and low tide is best.
When I get them home, I first have to clean them which means flicking the sand out of the hole if there is a hole. If there is no hole they go in a pile of "need to drill" pukas. Then I sort them into size groups and also quality groups.

Getting my toes in the sand.

It takes years for a puka shell to become what it is.
Puka is a hawaiian word for hole.

This small amount of treasures probably took weeks to find.

Once I have enough shells to make a necklace, the design process begins. Sometimes I like to put a different kind of shell in the center to keep things interesting.

My newest design has a beautiful smooth brown striped
cone shell in the center

A tapered necklace with larger shells in the center
 to smaller ones in the back.

I also like to make jewelry with shell charms and sparkly beads or stones.

Natural shells and purchased pearls or recycled findings
like the piece of coral, is from an old necklace
found at a yard sale.

Beach glass is also a favorite thing to use in my jewelry.
What people discard in the ocean often washes up as my treasures.
It takes years for glass to become nice and polished from the surf. 

When I have a few pieces made, I have to take pictures of them so I can list them on my jewelry website, Etsy. This involves setting up my photo studio of lights, camera, tripod and some props.

I use a picture that I took at the beach as my back drop for some of the shots.

And it will look something like this.

Click on this link to get more info on puka shells from wikpedia. You can also see my jewelry on Etsy by clicking on the link above, "my jewelry".

Aloha!