Found on eBAY: Shell Necklace – UK

This necklace is not as described albeit that the seller seems to have chosen the language they've used rather carefully. They have used "key words – Aboriginal & maireener" to attract attention to their entry. These key words seem to have won considerable currency in the past 12 to 18 moths on eBAY. So it is worth doing some unpicking.

maireener is a Tasmanian Aboriginal (palawa-kani) word that in its contemporary context means a group of shells 'rainbow kelp shells' – Phasianotrochus irisodontes, Phasianotrochus eximius Phasianotrochus apicinus – used and prized by Tasmanian Aboriginal shell necklacemakers. As an eBAY key word it is increasingly used euphemistically by sellers to describe almost any small iridescent/opalescent in a shell necklace. This 'eBAY euphemism' becomes deceptive and is arguably used to 'attract' buyers looking for a particular aesthetic. On eBAY the word has clearly entered the lexicon and has become a powerful, and ambiguous, key word – buyers beware.

Aboriginal (first; original; indigenous; primitive; native) is an interesting eBAY key word. It may be claimed as a 'global' word carrying the meanings that it does with the subtext 'exotic and other.' In an eBAY key word context, "Aboriginal" typical refers generically to 'Australian Aboriginal' and in relation to shell necklaces it evokes 'Tasmanian Aboriginal' . The word "aboriginal" (lower case spelling) is ambiguous and "Aboriginal" has become the convention to denote Australian Aboriginal. Nonetheless, as an eBAY key word it is ambiguous and often used that way by sellers looking to attract buyers with a particular sensibility. Interestingly when doing so, and deceptively, they turn these buyers off!

This eBAY entry is an example of the key words being used as euphemistic baits for buyers looking for the 'exotic and other'. Is the wording deceptive, naive, ill-informed and deliberate? It is an open question! Let's say all of the above but in different ways at different times and in different contexts.

GOOGLE KEY WORDS: eBAY, 120561637648, Aboriginal, Tasmania, Tasmanian, shell necklace, Ilkley, United Kingdom, vintage, antique, maireener, pearlescent, iridescent, opalescent, rainbow kelp shell, deceptive.

Found on eBAY: Shell Necklaces – Adelaide Aus

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Winning Bid: AU $175.50 13Bids
eBAY#: 260591976842CLICK ON AN IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Winning Bid AU$233.50 29Bids
eBAY #: 260591981036These three listings on eBAY are more interesting together than individually. Looking at the use of the word "maireener" first it seems to be used to invoke 'Aboriginality' but it also seems to have entered the lexicon with the implied meaning 'small irridecent shell for necklace making'.

There is little doubt the true maireener shells did indeed come from Tasmania given that these shells were harvested commercially in Tasmania in the later part of the 19th C up until approx 1960. It is now known that this was not part of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people's cultural production at that time – albeit that they did make shell necklace mimicked by the commercial producers harvesting these shells.

The likelihood of any of these necklaces being made by a Tasmanian Aboriginal maker is very slim. The necklace described a being made of "natural" shell – eBAY #: 260591981036 – may predate the one described as being dyed – this necklace appears to have been dyed also albit more subtly. The former could POSSIBLY have been made by the Martin family's Hobart/Honolulu operation anytime up until circa 1930s. The dyed necklace may have been made by the Bertie May operation in Hobart 1940s >>1960s – eBAY#: 260591976842.

Both could be described as classic Hobart Necklaces.

The necklace with glass beads is quite unlikely to have been of Tasmanian origin EXCEPT in the case that it was made in Tasmania from imported materials and it is known that tropical shells were being imported into Tasmania for the purposes of "shell craft" around the turn of the 20th C – the shells appear to be tropical. Likewise it is highly unlikely that Aboriginal makers had anything to do with this necklace.

Therefore the authenticity of these necklaces must be regarded as being quite ambiguous.

Dyed maireener Necklace

This necklace is entirely as described and no claims were made for that could not be substaniated. There are two obvious options for its origin. The first being the Hobart souvenir trader Bertie May who is known to have produced dyed necklaces such as this. He was active 1940s>>1960. The other option being a maker linked to the Martin family who started producing shell necklaces in Hobart in 1875 and were known tom be trading in 1927.

Earnest Mawle's Report of 1918 is a key reference that contextualises to some extent the 'industry' that produced Hobart Necklaces. Mawle's report refers to the dying of shells. There is beginning to be increasing evidence that Bertie May's production may be able to be distinguished from the dyed shell necklaces of producers/marketers like the Martins.

May's dyeing seems to be more intense in its colouration while necklaces that seem to be older than his are less intense and somewhat more subtle. There is no evidence that Tasmanian Aboriginal makers dyed their shells but it cannot be dismissed out of hand. On the balance of probability, this example seems to be older than May's production and more likely to be of non-Aboriginal production than Tasmanian Aboriginal.

Like all such necklaces there is quite a bit of ambiguity about this example.

Aboriginality Authentication - maireener shells and others

CLICK ON AN IMAGE TO GO TO SOURCE1. Gallery Cat # 4 AM 1881/04, Unknown, Shell Necklace – Ricies & oaties shells, threaded 1420mm Long

2. Gallery Cat #7 AM 2384/05, Unknown, Aboriginal Shell Necklace c. 1850 – Blue maireneer shells, threaded 1200mm Long ... From an estate. Possibly 150 years old.
3. Gallery Cat #6 AM 2398/05, Unknown Shell Necklace c. 1870 – Bung's rice shells, small oat shells & striped helmet shells, threaded on cotton 430mm Long
4. Gallery Cat # 3 AM 1879/04, Unknown, Shell Necklace – White oaties, threaded 1700mm Long
5. Gallery Cat # 5 AM 1883/04, Unknown, Shell Necklace – Oaties & ricies shells, threaded 860mm Long
6. Gallery Cat # 2 AM 470/02, Unknown, Shell Necklace – Alternating sets of creamy elongated shells and ricies 1200mm Long ... An older necklace. String segments showing.

LINK TO THE GALLERY & PAGE

Aboriginality Authentication: The 'Art Mob Gallery' on Hobart's waterfront in Tasmania is possibly unique in Australia in that it is a gallery dealing in antique and vintage Tasmanian Aboriginal shell necklaces. Furthermore, they take great care in provenancing their necklaces. Somehow Art Mob seems to manage to have a number of old necklaces in stock and those above are in their current stock.

There will be antique dealers all over who will have 'Tasmanian' shell necklaces as do the various sellers on eBAY. In Tasmania, there has been an assumption, and for all intentions purposes it has seemed a relatively safe assumption, that shell necklaces that looked like the Tasmanian Aboriginal people's necklaces were as they appeared. It now seems that it is quite apparent that it may not always be so. That's especially so given the numbers that are turning up on eBAY.

There are a number of galleries in Tasmania, including Art Mob, selling shell necklaces made by contemporary makers in Tasmania's Aboriginal community. There is no doubt about their authenticity – and there should be none. Indeed, it is evident that the prices that their necklaces currently command is most likely behind the interest in ' Tasmanian shell necklaces' on eBAY – and quite likely it is why many sellers aim to invoke Aboriginal authenticity too.

In Tasmania there are two major museums and art galleries – the TMAG & the QVMAG – both of which have important collections of Tasmanian Aboriginal shell necklaces. Also the National Gallery of Australia and the National Museum of Australia hold significant Tasmania Aboriginal shell necklaces in their collections as do many other State capital city museums and art galleries.

eBAY Find – April 2010 UK - maireener shells

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SOLD FOR AU $174.25

COMMENT: To claim Aboriginal authenticity sellers need to rely upon more than scant circumstantial evidence and indeed provide sound provenance to back up the assertion. There does not seem to be such provenance here. However, the shells in this necklace may well have been gleaned from a Hobart Necklace. Again, this necklace's description suggests that Aboriginality, if it can be established , adds value to these necklaces and that the word 'maireener' has currency on eBAY.

eBAY Find – April 2010 UK

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This necklace opens up some interesting areas of speculation. If it turns out that shells are identifiable as Tasmanian it may be linked to the necklace depicted in the 'Butterfield Photograph' [ link 1 ] • [ link 2 ] and if it is it may tell us something more about 'Hobart Necklaces' in Tasmania. If the shells can be identified as coming from the UK as implied by the seller here it may tell us something about the trade Hobart Necklaces were a part of.

Watch this space!

Alerted by: PD-SB.US

Found on eBAY: Ambiguous Authentication - maireener shells

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Found on eBAY: NOT a maireener, NOT Tasmanian, NOT made by a Tasmanian Aboriginal maker.

Apparently someone told the seller here that one the same that sold for over £100. If that was so then maybe it would have been good to quote the eBAY item number. The good thing about eBAY is that it is a very good research tool.

Necklaces made with Tasmanian maireener shells do quite often sell for over £100 and contemporary maireener shell necklaces made by Aboriginal makers sell for well over £100.

So you have to wonder if the one that apparently sold for over £100 was the same as this one. Without the evidence it is impossible to say. But clearly such necklace's 'Aboriginality' does seem to add value to them.

Anyway the buyers are able to do their research and this one didn't attract a bid let alone reach the seller's reserve.

Found on eBAY: USA - maireener shells

Clearly the only thing that is credible about this necklace is that it is described as having been painted. It may be of 'Tasmanian origin' but that is unlikely and almost certainly it is not of Tasmanian Aboriginal cultural production – contemporary or vintage. The shells may well have originated in Tasmania but that does not by itself imply Aboriginal cultural production.

eBAY FIND- April 2010 USA - maireener shells

NOTE: The necklace above has been relisted and redescribed removing the word "Aboriginal" from the title and description. This reflects the ambiguity of the piece and indeed it may well be a Hobart Necklace circa early 1900s and even one that found its way to the USA via Honolulu.

These finds are continuing evidence that a great many of these necklaces were made and many more than there are likely to have been Tasmanian Aboriginal makers to produce them. – albeit that there were clearly some. It is unclear how the necklaces made as "Hobart Necklaces" in the late 1800s and early 1900s came to be understood as "Aboriginal Shell Necklaces".

eBAY is most likely the vehicle via which the word maireener (the Tasmanian Aboriginal word for the shells and sometimes the necklaces made from them) has entered the 'global' lexicon for these particular shells and seemingly increasingly used by default for all small iridescent shells used for necklace making – Tasmanian & other.

They are also evidence of the global carelessness for the cultural cargo "Tasmanian Aboriginal Shell Necklaces" carry. This is so even though it is increasingly clear that the Hobart Necklaces are blatant mimics of their 'Aboriginal prototypes'. Unless "Aboriginal" carries some kind of cultural cargo that adds value to the necklace it is difficult to explain why these mimics so readily win 'quasie Aboriginal status'.