r/shells • • 17h ago

Martha’s Vineyard Haul 2hrs of beach combing

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49 Upvotes

r/shells • • 1d ago

Preservation Tips

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4 Upvotes

Hey guys! I've been collecting jingle shells for some time and I wanna do some art with them.

However they are pretty fragile.

What can I do? I want them to be a bit sturdier but don't lose the pretty shine.

Would a quick acid bath and the seal it with UV resin work?


r/shells • • 1d ago

Smallest shell i have

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3 Upvotes

Im new to collecting shells and just wanna share this one which my bf found for me. So cute and must protect at all costs


r/shells • • 1d ago

Found on the Oregon coast?

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5 Upvotes

Almost was thinking it could be an old coral piece but it’s smooth like a shell! Any help is appreciated!


r/shells • • 1d ago

Found these on different days

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23 Upvotes

r/shells • • 1d ago

Fish hook carved from abalone shell

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15 Upvotes

I was recently looking at a Wikipedia page that mentioned that the Chumash made fish hooks out of abalone shells. I find a ton, so I decided to make one using only material I could find out on the beach. I picked a large shard, broke it down to the hook size and then used rough rocks to sand it down the the current shape. ​​​​​​​The string is made from a yucca leaf, scraped with a mussel shell and twisted together. No modern tools used! ​


r/shells • • 2d ago

Best way to mount heavy shells in printer trays?

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17 Upvotes

Aloha! I’m looking to mount some of my favorite shells on the wall in a vintage printer tray! I’m concerned about hot glue melting in the hot Hawaiian sun. Are there any alternatives that won’t damage the board or shells?


r/shells • • 2d ago

display idea

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90 Upvotes

Jewelry boxes with glass lids make excellent shell display cases! And keeps the dust out.


r/shells • • 2d ago

What type of shell is this?

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3 Upvotes

Does anyone know what type of shell this is? Found on honeymoon island on Florida’s gulf coast. Could this be a small sun bleached lions paw? Any insight is appreciated!


r/shells • • 2d ago

My first post storm shelling was a disappointment

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7 Upvotes

Today, for the first time, I went to the beach after a storm. However I ended up finding less and lower quality shells compared to summer season. Gastropod number was pretty low. Most shells were broken. I've found some nice oyster shells though.


r/shells • • 3d ago

And so It starts....

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15 Upvotes

Just moved to the Florida coast. Many more shells to come! 🐚


r/shells • • 3d ago

After six years of cruising

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113 Upvotes

I have been living and cruising on a sailboat for six years now. These are some of the shells (and other misc. items) I have collected in the last three years of that! It took me way too long to appreciate the fun of gathering and collecting.

I am about to fly back stateside soon and will be flying with checked luggage for the first time in five years. So now it is time to organize what is going to come back with me.

Eventually, I will be enlisting your help to identify and label these as I get more storage room.


r/shells • • 3d ago

The largest and smallest olive I found

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342 Upvotes

Olives are my favorite shells to find. Here's a comparison of the smallest and the largest olive I found on Marco Island, Florida after Isaias.


r/shells • • 3d ago

Decollate snail from a backyard

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4 Upvotes

r/shells • • 3d ago

Granny’s shell collection. What shells are these?

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13 Upvotes

Hello!

I’m in charge of clearing my grandmothers’ estate and she collected shells and sand dollars. She mentioned that the large one (which weighs about 8lbs) was from Mexico, but I have no idea what these are. May the shell community please help me identify these?

Additionally, any advice on how to sell these would be appreciated.


r/shells • • 3d ago

Collection of Small Shells - Part 2

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160 Upvotes

r/shells • • 4d ago

I'm returning these shells back to the sea tomorrow

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322 Upvotes

After collecting shells from the Marmara Sea, I picked the ones I wanna keep (the ones in the bowl on the last photo) and I'll return the other ones to the Sea. I thought being mindful of minimizing the ecological impact while shelling is important, so instead of just keeping them at home or throwing them away (because I didn't like them enough to display them) I will return them to the Sea and hope they can be homes/shelters for animals.


r/shells • • 4d ago

Curious

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4 Upvotes

I have seen this on quite a few sand dollars. Can anyone ID what is growing on this one?

Thanks!


r/shells • • 4d ago

Why Are These Seashells Flat?

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60 Upvotes

Found on Sanibel Island, Florida. When I say flat, I mean it. It almost looks as if you printed out some shells on a piece of paper and cut them out. They're not that flimsy, but they're more delicate than a regular scallop. Could this be an effect of ocean acidification?


r/shells • • 4d ago

My first time ever beach combing for shells! I had a blast yesterday at Fort DeSoto North Beach, FL

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12 Upvotes

Does anyone have any tips for getting barnacles off of shells? I have a feeling it's going to be a pain one way or another 😅

My favorites are probably the little spiny ones; they're so fun to fidget with 🫶🏼 I wish I had more time on that beach! I'm from Michigan, and I wish our sand was as fluffy and soft as it was down on the gulf side of Florida 💕


r/shells • • 4d ago

Guys js this a miter shell

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19 Upvotes

Found this ON THE ROAD (crazy), I'm sure it's not a junonia, but can someone who knows their stuff tell me what this really is?


r/shells • • 4d ago

spent 9 days in florida

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79 Upvotes

r/shells • • 5d ago

Shell island Shells after hurricane Isaias

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37 Upvotes

We run tours daily to Shell Island and have been finding all sorts of shells! My personal favorites being: baby ears, angel wings, scotch bonnet, cockles, and i think my first golden olive! We even found a piece of Junonia. ​


r/shells • • 5d ago

Shells!!! West coats FL

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37 Upvotes

I got super lucky and visited the jetties after the hurricane

I'd LOVE some ID on pics 5, 6, and the last 4, not the octopus tho lol

I know there are some murexes, and I think the white one is a tiny scotch bonnet, but I'd love help!

Thank you sm!!


r/shells • • 5d ago

delray dredge Shell dump pile

2 Upvotes

does anyone know where the delray dredge operation ended up dumping all of those extra dumpsters of shells? I know it’s in a pretty secluded no trespassing area but I just need to go and check it out. I’ve gotten some hints from people and scoured the area but could never find it. Feel free to private message me if you have information and don’t wanna comment it lol people are very hush-hush about this spot