Minuscule Shells

One of the activities Jack and I have found aboard Sila is gluing shells together to create interesting shapes. We recently became more adventurous and have been working with minuscule shells. Only after working for a few minutes did I find a secretive wonder of the ocean.

Most people think of long white sandy beaches with palm trees, huge coral formations covered in fish, or the lovely conch with its pink inside as beautiful things of the tropics. I disagree. I am not saying I do not think those are pretty but there are other things that are far more amazing.  I doubt even the most experienced diver would know what I speak of, a Kuna jeweler would know though. I am talking about shells that fit in groups of two or three on your pinky finger. The Kuna, a tribe native to the Panamanian islands, make beautiful jewelry out of these tiny shells. These shells have, in my opinion, unique, intriguing, and the most beautiful designs I have seen from the ocean. Many are zebra striped or splattered with the rainbow. One of my favorites is a white shell speckled with daffodil yellow dots and what seems like built in glitter. Another shell was purple mountain majesty with gray cloud spots and it seemed to flash the rainbow in the sunlight. If you were to expand one of these to the size of a conch, you would have the most incredible shell on the planet.

I have been amazed repeatedly with the same shell. It took ten months of sailing to spot these minuscule patterns. I am glad I did. – Porter