Shell

Your choices for shell are abalone (raw and textured on one side, flush and colorful on the other), black shell (silver on one side with black and brown sepia tones on the other) or mother of pearl (cream to pale yellow on both sides). Its dynamic color and luster make shockingly elegant jewelry against all different skin tones. Because of the natural shape of the raw material, most pieces have a subtle curve of a shape. The sizes that we commonly have in stock are 1.5mm-4mm, though we can attempt to back order larger sizes based on availability of larger sized raw materials. If you would like to shine up any of the horn, bone, shell, and wood, jojoba oil works great. Because the jewelry derives from the animal kingdom, drying out of these materials does occur. A minuscule dab on a toothbrush or sponge will go a long way. This is a hand carved material, originating from the great and wondrous sea, so there will be slight variances in diameter, color and design. In filling your order, we will select the pair(s) that we feel are the most beautiful, rather than a replica of the image you see on our website. As an organic material, it should not come into contact with water or humidity, as those elements (along with altitude change and climate change) can cause it to warp, crack, or break. Direct Sunlight can also cause warping, cracking, or breaking. Tawapa is not responsible for breaks or cracks in the jewelry that occur after it has arrived and been worn. Please don’t sleep in your jewelry, as it is extremely delicate and may break. Think of it an intricately carved piece of art masquerading as jewelry. Would you sleep in a Picasso? We didn’t think so. None of our jewelry is intended to be worn through a mucous membrane. Nor is it intended to be ingested. We design our jewelry for healed piercings only and not for the process of stretching.