Accession No
1923.1482 A
Description
Length of shell money/currency made of red and white beads.
Place
Oceania; Melanesia; Solomon Islands
Period
Source
Clarke, Louis Colville Gray [donor]
Department
Anth
Reference Numbers
1923.1482 A
Cultural Affliation
Material
Shell; plant fibre
Local Term
Measurements
Events
Description (Labels & Markings)
A small label attached to the object reads '23.1482 A / Shell money / Solomon ID'.
Event Date
Author: maa
Description (Physical description)
[From catalogue card:] 'A. Red & white shell money. B. White shell money.'
Event Date
Author: maa
Description (Physical description)
Short length of shell money tied into a loop, alternating sections of red spondylus shell beads and sections of white ?tridacna shell beads.
Event Date 6/10/2015
Author: maa
Context (Analysis)
A relatively short strand of red and white shell beads arranged in alternating clusters. The white shell beads are made from the spires of Pterygia (=Imbricaria) punctata. The red beads are mottled bright pink/red, paler pink and orange which links more closely to Spondylus as a raw material than Chama. Unlike some other strands, both the red and white beads are well ground around the periphery although have subsequently become more rounded and polished through use-wear.
Event Date 1/11/2017
Author: Katherine Szabo
FM:264908
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