Hi Linda, If the necklace is genuine and in good condition, it could easily be worth hundreds of dollars or more. It just so happens that I know several people that make Ni'ihau shell bracelets and necklaces, one of whom is from the island of Ni'ihau. Contact me off CONCH-L, and I can give you a link to one of their websites, which has pages with some general information and pictures of Ni'ihau shell necklaces. There is also a book I would recommend trying to borrow from the local library: "Ni'ihau Shell Leis" by Linda Paik Moriarty. Cheers Alex Berkeley, CA On Tue, 8 Nov 2005 14:00:58 -0500, Linda Bush <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >Hi, All! > >Our club ran an ad in the newpaper to try to get new members, and of course I'm getting a lot of calls from people who think they have a shell item of immense value. > >So, I offered to ask you about this. The lady has a vintage shell necklace from Hawaii, made of "Ni'ihau" shells. Obviously, I don't know what the species is. Is this necklace of any value, other than as a curio? > >Thanks, >Linda > >---------------------------------------------------------------------- >[log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs >To leave this list, click on the following web link: >http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1 >Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and >click leave the list. >---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs To leave this list, click on the following web link: http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1 Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and click leave the list. ----------------------------------------------------------------------