I was thinking about this last night as I hunted online for a new barrette. I found one in mother-of-pearl that was absolutely stunning, but then I got to thinking... is that animal-friendly? So then of course I started thinking about other "sea-jewelry." Now I know that pearls obviously aren't "okay," as you can't get to the pearl until the oyster is dead... and nobody waits around for an oyster to die of natural causes. But what about seashells that you find on the beach? We will be travelling to Florida this summer to visit with my sister, and the kids love collecting a handful of shells to bring back for our house each time we go to the beach. We have never taken a shell that was still being used as a home, but what about the ones that are empty? Are they the same as a discarded antler? So pearls - since I own none already, I can start "from scratch" and will only look into glass-pearls. I know that Swarovski has some stunning pretties & while they're pricey, I wouldn't have need for more than a handful. But what about seashells & MOP? Seashells that WE pick up I'm guessing are probably okay... but mother-of-pearl? Is that being harvested somewhere? Guess it's time to check a few things out, I was just wondering if anyone had already looked into this before I started digging. love, mom
Darn. Just looked up the mother-of-pearl, and it looks like it's being harvested pretty much the same way as oysters. (sigh) I suppose I should have counted on that, huh? Okay, so I'll look into something other than MOP for my next barrette. What about seashells though? NOT the ones you can buy, because I know that those are often taken from living critters, but what about the ones that we pick up? love, mom
A lot of shells are homes for other critters, especially hermit crabs. I work on an island where shells cannot be collected because it's "prime real estate" for other critters... I wouldn't take any shells at all, though, because I go by the adage, take only pictures, leave only foot prints. Just my own personal philosophy.
Depends on the shell - those half an oyster or clam shell, ones aren't likely to get reused by a crab- but conch type shells would be.
This is true. I have abalone shell necklaces that I've made from abalone shells that I've found in the ocean myself...I'd never buy them in the store, but I feel OK about wearing them since they died naturally and nothing could ever re-use those shells.
hmmm... so then the bivalve-type shells wouldn't be a problem, but maybe I should steer the kids clear of the others? Definitely do-able. Thanks love, mom
This was actually something my daughter asked about. We had been studying sea-creatures that moved from shell to shell, and she asked if it would be "bad" to take certain shells... and if any types WERE still "okay" to collect. So I think this will answer exactly what she was worried about - we won't be taking anyone's home, but she should still be able to collect a few pretties as a memento of her time at Auntie's house. Thanks so much love, mom
There are actually ways to get pearls out of the oyster without harming it or killing it. Actually, a pearl is a piece of debris that was bothering the oyster, so it made a protective shell around it. The little guy is probably thankful it's out (so long as one doesn't kill said oyster). There is a company (whose name I now forgot, but can try to find it online if anyone is interested) that specializes in this. They oysters are in the sea, they implant the sand (debris?) into the oyster, and then take the pearl. All without killing the oyster. When the oysters stop producing pearls, they're left alone to live out their lives. If an oyster refuses to produce a pear from day one - same thing. They're left to their life in the sea.
I don’t know about commercial shells? But most abalone you get from hippies is just collected on the beach wash up after the creature dies. Cone shells sometimes have creatures in them but most of the ones you find on the beach don’t but if you go diving and get them there is a good chance they do. Live cone shell can be very dangerous a lot of the creatures are very poisonous people have died by putting them in their pocket and the creature stinging them. When you find them you should always pick them up by the fat end (they sting out of the skinny end) until you can see if there is anyone living in there. Most of the time they don’t sting people a lot of people get them and don’t know it until a weeks latter when the shell starts to smell funny.
It's still an animal product, though...and vegans, especially, don't use any animal products at all. It's still exploiting a creature.
No, I understand that. I was just mentioning it in case there were people here who just follow a vegan/vegetarian diet, but aren't into animal rights per se. I'm a vegetarian, and follow a vegan diet 99% of the time (I travel to odd places, where it's impossible to find vegan options). I don't really use animals and their products either. But, have no real issue with those who do in a humane way.
