Editing Seashell (section)

=== Cultural significance ===
{{further|Molluscs in culture}}
{{more citations needed section|date=July 2016}}

==== Currency ====
{{main|shell money}}

Seashells have been used as a medium of exchange in various places, including many Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean islands, also in North America, Africa and the Caribbean.
[[Image:Cypraea-moneta-001.jpg|thumb|1742 drawing of shells of the money cowry, ''[[Monetaria moneta]]'']]
* The most common species of shells to be used as currency have been ''[[Monetaria moneta]]'', the "money [[cowry]]",<ref name="Poutiers">{{cite book|last=Poutiers|first=J. M.|date=1998|chapter=Gastropods|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/w7191e/w7191e44.pdf|title=FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes: The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific|volume=1. Seaweeds, corals, bivalves and gastropods|location=Rome|publisher=FAO|page=503|access-date=30 January 2019|archive-date=31 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190131043502/http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/w7191e/w7191e44.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Hogendorn, Jan and Johnson Marion: The Shell Money of the Slave Trade. African Studies Series 49, [[Cambridge University Press]], [[Cambridge]], 1986.</ref> and certain [[Dentalium (anthropology)|dentalium]] [[tusk shell]]s, used in North Western North America for many centuries.
* Many of the tribes and nations all across the continent of Africa have historically used the [https://web.archive.org/web/20160323070635/http://www.blackhistorypages.net/pages/cowrie.php cowry] as their media of exchange. The cowry circulated, historically, alongside metal coins and goods, and foreign currencies. Being durable and easy to carry the cowry made a very favorable currency.
* Some tribes of the [[indigenous peoples of the Americas]] used shells for [[wampum]] and [[hair pipe]]s.<ref>[[John C. Ewers|Ewers, John C.]] "[http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/BAE/Bulletin164/section2.htm#Shell%20hp Hair Pipes in Plains Indian Adornment] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071201173655/http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/BAE/Bulletin164/section2.htm#Shell%20hp |date=1 December 2007 }}", ''Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 164'', pp. 29–85.  United States Government Printing Office, Washington : 1957.</ref> The Native American ''[[wampum]] belts'' were made of the shell of the [[quahog]] clam.

==== Tools ====
Seashells have often been used as [[tool]]s, because of their strength and the variety of their shapes.
* [[Giant clam]]s (Family Tridacnidae) have been used as bowls, and when big enough, even as bathtubs and [[baptism]]al fonts.
* ''[[Melo melo]]'', the "bailer [[Volutidae|volute]]", is so named because Native Australians used it to [[Bailing (boats)|bail out]] their canoes.
* Many different species of bivalves have been used as scrapers, blades, clasps, and other such tools, due to their shape.
* Some marine gastropods have been used for [[oil lamp]]s, the oil being poured in the aperture of the shell, and the [[siphonal canal]] serving as a holder for the wick.

==== Horticulture ====
Because seashells are in some areas a readily available bulk source of calcium carbonate, shells such as [[oyster]] shells are sometimes used as soil conditioners in [[horticulture]]. The shells are broken or ground into small pieces in order to have the desired effect of raising the [[pH]] and increasing the [[calcium]] content in the soil.

==== Religion and spirituality ====
[[File:Flag of Kingdom of Travancore.svg|thumb|A sacred chank shell on the flag of [[Travancore]], India]]
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Strombuslarcomuseum.jpg|thumb|right|Moche Shell, 200 A.D. [[Larco Museum|Larco Museum Collection]] Lima, Peru.]] -->
[[File:Spatha shell. From Naqada tomb 1539, Egypt. Naqada I period. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg|thumb|Spatha shell. From Naqada tomb 1539, Egypt. Naqada I period. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London]]
Seashells have played a part in religion and spirituality, sometimes even as ritual objects.
* In Christianity, the [[scallop]] shell is considered to be the symbol of [[Saint James the Great]], see ''[[Pecten jacobaeus]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Raichlen|first=Steven|title=The venerable scallop's versatility makes it a rare culinary blessing|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1990-11-04-1990308108-story.html|access-date=12 November 2020|website=baltimoresun.com|date=4 November 1990|language=en-US|archive-date=8 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508232021/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1990-11-04-1990308108-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* In [[Hinduism]], left-handed shells of ''[[Turbinella pyrum]]'' (the sacred [[shankha]]) are considered to be sacred to the god [[Vishnu]]. The person who finds a left-handed chank shell (one that coils to the left) is sacred to Vishnu, as well. The chank shell also plays an important role in [[Buddhism]].
* [[Cowries]] have often been considered to be symbols of female fertility. They were often treated as actual fertility [[amulet|charms]]. The dorsum of the shell resembles a pregnant belly, and the underside of the shell resembles a [[vulva]]. In the South Indian state of Kerala, cowries are used for making astrological predictions.
* In the [[Santería]] religion, shells are used for [[divination]].
* The [[Moche (culture)|Moche]] culture of ancient [[Peru]] worshipped animals and the sea, and often depicted shells in their art.<ref>Berrin, Katherine & Larco Museum. ''The Spirit of Ancient Peru:Treasures from the [[Larco Museum|Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera]].'' New York: [[Thames and Hudson]], 1997.</ref>
* In Christianity, the top of the [[sand dollar]] represents the Star of Bethlehem that led the Wise Men to the manger of Christ. Outside the "star" you will see the Easter Lily, a sign of Jesus' Resurrection. There are four holes that represent the holes in the Lord's hands and feet. The center hole is the Wound to His Sacred Heart by the spear of Longinus. On the other side of the sand dollar, you will see Poinsettia. Lastly, if you break open the sand dollar, five doves will come out, the doves of Peace and Joy.<ref>The Legend of the Sand Dollar</ref>

==== Musical instruments ====
{{main|Conch (musical instrument)}}
[[File:Hindu priest blowing conch during punja.jpg|thumb|Hindu priest sounding a ritual trumpet made from ''[[Turbinella pyrum]]'']]
[[File:Gyeonbokgung-March-01.jpg|thumb|Korean military procession with ''[[Charonia]]'' trumpets]]

Seashells have been used as musical instruments, [[wind instruments]] for many hundreds if not thousands of years. Most often the shells of large sea snails are used, as trumpets, by cutting a hole in the [[spire (mollusc)|spire]] of the shell or cutting off the tip of the spire altogether. Various different kinds of large marine gastropod shells can be turned into "blowing shells"; however, the most commonly encountered species used as "[[conch]]" trumpets are:
* The sacred chank, ''[[Turbinella pyrum]]'', known in India as the [[shankha]]. In [[Tibet]] it is known as "dung-dkar".<ref name=Clark>{{cite web |url=http://www.furious.com/perfect/shells.html |title=Some Basics on Shell Trumpets and some very Basics on how to make them |author=Clark, Mitchell |year=1996 |publisher=furious.com |access-date=24 July 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021010404/http://www.furious.com/perfect/shells.html |archive-date=21 October 2013}}</ref>
* The [[Triton (mollusk)|Triton shell]] also known as "Triton's trumpet" ''[[Charonia tritonis]]'' which is used as a trumpet in Melanesian and Polynesian culture and also in [[Korea]] and Japan. In Japan this kind of trumpet is known as the [[horagai]]. In Korea it is known as the [[nagak]]. In some Polynesian islands it is known as "''pu''".<ref name=Clark/>
* The [[Queen Conch]] ''[[Lobatus gigas]]'', has been used as a trumpet in the Caribbean.

Children in some cultures are often told the myth that you can hear the sound of the ocean by holding a seashell to ones ear. This is due to the effect of [[seashell resonance]].

==== 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.

==== Creating Crafts ====
{{main|Sailor's Valentines}}

"[[Sailor's Valentines]]" were late 19th-century decorative keepsakes which were made from the Caribbean, and which were often purchased by sailors to give to their loved ones back home for example in England. These valentines consisted of elaborate arrangements of small seashells glued into attractive symmetrical designs, which were encased on a wooden (usually octagonal) hinged box-frame. The patterns used often featured heart-shaped designs, or included a sentimental expression of love spelled out in small shells.

The making of shell work artifacts is a practice of [[Indigenous Australians|Aboriginal women]] from [[La Perouse, New South Wales|La Perouse]] in [[Sydney]], dating back to the 19th century. Shell work objects include baby shoes, jewelry boxes and replicas of famous landmarks, including the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]] and the [[Sydney Opera House]]. The shellwork tradition began as an Aboriginal women's craft which was adapted and tailored to suit the tourist souvenir market, and which is now considered high art.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nma.gov.au/explore/collection/highlights/shellwork-sydney-harbour-bridge |title = Shellwork Sydney Harbour Bridge|website= National Museum of Australia Collections|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130215018/https://www.nma.gov.au/explore/collection/highlights/shellwork-sydney-harbour-bridge |archive-date=30 January 2019 }}</ref>

==== Architectural decoration ====
Small pieces of colored and iridescent shell have been used to create [[mosaic]]s and [[inlay]]s, which have been used to decorate walls, furniture and boxes. Large numbers of whole seashells, arranged to form patterns, have been used to decorate mirror frames, furniture and human-made [[shell grotto]]s.

==== Art ====
[[File:Aphrodite Anadyomene Louvre CA2288.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Aphrodite]], 1st century BC, 13&nbsp;cm, 5&nbsp;in]]
A very large outdoor sculpture at [[Akkulam]] of a gastropod seashell is a reference to the sacred chank shell ''[[Turbinella pyrum]]'' of India. In 2003, [[Maggi Hambling]] designed a striking 13&nbsp;ft (4 m) high sculpture of a [[scallop]] shell which stands on the beach at [[Aldeburgh]], in England. The goddess of love, [[Venus (mythology)|Venus]] or [[Aphrodite]], is often traditionally depicted rising from the sea on a seashell.  In ''[[The Birth of Venus (Botticelli)|The Birth of Venus]]'', [[Botticelli]] depicted the goddess [[Venus (goddess)|Venus]] rising from the ocean on a [[scallop]] shell.

<gallery>
File:Akkulam shanku.jpg|Enormous seashell sculpture at [[Akkulam]], [[Thiruvananthapuram]], India
File:The Scallop, Maggi Hambling, Aldeburgh.jpg|Large sculpture of a [[scallop]] on the beach at [[Aldeburgh]], by [[Maggi Hambling]], 2003
File:Albertus Seba Muscheln.jpg|Illustration from an 18th-century book, edited by [[Albertus Seba]]. These decorative arrangements were a popular way to display seashells at the time
File:Hendrick Goltzius - Portrait of the Haarlem Shell Collector Jan Govertsen van der Aer - Google Art Project.jpg|Portrait of the Shell Collector Jan Govertsen van der Aer, by [[Hendrick Goltzius]] (1603)
</gallery>

==== Poultry feeds ====
Sea shells found in the creek and backwater of the coast of west India are used as an additive to poultry feed. They are crushed and mixed with jowar maize and dry fish.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}