Shells on the Beach

Captiva Island Finds by Jennifer Cameron

It is a time honored tradition! Take the family for a day at the beach, but don't forget the pail. Not for digging up the sand (although that is a close second), but to hold all the glorious finds made. I can not remember once going with my children, and then with my grandchildren, that we didn't come home with at least several. The most recent time was when I took them to a lakeside beach in my community, and after collecting several of the usual, my granddaughter ran up to me, all excited, with what she called an "oyster." It was an unopened clam shell. Bless her imagination.

Ten years ago, my oldest son married the love of his life on the beach at Sandals in Antigua. My husband, myself and our two younger sons flew down to be a part of their celebration. We had some extra time, so off we went to the beachfront at our time share, and soon found out, it was too rocky for swimming. There was nothing else to do after admiring the clear blue of the water, except to go on a hunt.

My youngest, age 21 at the time, found the most amazing collection. Perfectly formed and polished shells so tiny, my eyes would have missed them. Here is a picture of some I have kept to this day. They are reminders of a glorious time in our lives, but even without that, are so sweet and delicate, who could not admire them.

For me, as a jewelry designer, when summer comes around, there are always thoughts of jewelry that reflect shells on the beach. The first I did was this pendant of polymer clay which incorporates several of those shells, along with that obligatory pail, and real sand inclusions.

Now when you have a piece of nature's perfection, and Mold Maker, your polymer clay becomes an exact copy of it. Add acrylic paints, silver leafing, and a bail, and it is the start of an "Ocean Finds Necklace".

 Of course, shells are not the only thing to find, so this necklace has representations of them. I had originally done it in pink, pearl, and mauve colors, but it seemed to lack a little something. Oh yes, that beautiful ocean color that still remains in my head ten years later.



Thank you for coming along with me down my memory lane. Now enjoy the rest of the blog posts on this Hop from Art Jewelry Elements.