eBAY Find – June 2010 USA - maireener shells

SELLER'S NOTES:

• #2_ Vintage Tasmanian Maireener Shell Lei Necklace Iridescent Pink
  This is a beautiful vintage Tasmanian Maireener Shell lei necklace. The shells are strung on thread. I do not know if these shells were dyed [almost certainly they have been] or not, but they awesome shades of iridescent pink and blue green colors ... It is in excellent condition and I do not see any broken or missing shells. It measures approximately 34 inches long from end to end ... SOLD FOR: US $152.49 = Approx.AU $175.32

• #3 _Vintage Tasmanian Maireener Shell Lei Necklace Iridescent White
  
  This is a beautiful vintage Tasmanian Maireener Shell lei necklace. The shells are strung on thread. I do not know if these shells were dyed or not, [unlikely to have been]but they awesome shades of iridescent blue green colors ... It is in excellent condition and I do not see any broken or missing shells. It measures approximately 34 inches long from end to end.... SOLD FOR: US $149.99 Approx. AU $172.44

• #1 _ SOLD FOR: US $247.50 Approx. AU $284.55

The most interesting thing about this eBAY sale is that these maireener shell necklaces were described as they were ... "Vintage Tasmanian Maireener Shell Lei Necklace " ... They seem to have come to the seller's possession via West Coast USA sources and it is possible that one way or another the Hawaiian links have been subliminally made.

Authentic Vintage Hawaiian Niihau Shell Lei Necklace

SELLER'S NOTE: Authentic Vintage Hawaiian Niihau Shell 4 Strand Lei Necklace

"This is a beautiful vintage authentic Hawaiian Niihau Shell four strand lei necklace from the island of Niihau. From what I have read, it is made from Mitrella Margarita shells and has a clasp that is made out of two shells that are Cypraea (Staphylaea) granulata granulate, Common Name: Granulated Cowry, Hawaiian Name: Poloholoho'ãpu'upu'u and the two shells where all 4 strands are tied together are Common Name: Depressed/Variegated Sundial, Hawaiian Name: Kauno'o ... There is an old brass sewing snap for the actual closure hook. This snap was glued to the back of the Cowry shells and works perfectly. One of the Cowry shells has a spot that has worn through and shows the natural pink shade of the shell (see photo). This is not a chip; it was worn by the ocean ... It is in excellent condition and I do not see any broken or missing shells. It measures approximately 26 inches long from end to end.

I am listing a beautiful collection of shell leis and necklaces. Some are very rare hard to find extinct shells. If you’re a shell or shell jewelry collector, this is an awesome opportunity to add to your collection. Good luck and Happy Ebaying!"

•••

It seems that Tasmanian maireener shell necklaces that found their way to Honolulu via the 'M M Martin' enterprise – and perhaps via other makers/suppliers as well – became part of the Hawaiian tourist trade market for 'lei' and possibly even used by Hawaiians as lei. This lei seems as if it may be a good example of what they were intended to mimic.

eBAY FIND: SHONKY PRODUCT

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This eBAY find is at once disturbing and reassuring. Disturbing, in the sense that the seller here has no discrimination and is willing to do anything to attract attention to a shonky product. Reassuring, in so much as pulling all the key word tricks here has failed to win the level of bidding real maireener shells attract – on other occasions like shells have failed to win a bid at all. Clearly, the buyers of these necklaces know what they are looking at and what it is they are looking for. Other sellers could do well to learn from this failed entry.

These shells keep turning up and nobody seems to have worked out just where they are from. The Philippines is the best candidate thus far. They are tropical and not from Tasmanian waters. Tasmanian Aboriginal maireener makers would feel insulted to have this work attributed to them as they take great care about the collection and preparation of their shells. While it is possible that they may have dyed their shells at some time there is no evidence of it – anecdotal, circumstantial or concrete.

Also, the seller dated this necklace at 1860/70 and there is a fundamental problem with this it would seem. It is very likely that this necklace was dyed with aniline dyes but these dyes were not invented until the 1890s. Arriving at a date of manufacture for an object often relies upon intuition but here invention ans aspiration seems to have been the main factors informing the intuition. If you do not know, then it is usually better to say so.

If this seller had done some research (any research?) this description could not have been used and the Internet makes this research very easy to do – simply Google 'maireener' necklace to start.

Found on eBAY: USA - maireener shells

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Ended: 14 June, 2010 – 10:13:24 AEST – 14 bids

Winning bid:US $292.00 – AU $343.85

This necklace is typical of the necklaces that have ambiguous authenticity and circumstantially becoming less likely to be made by a Tasmanian Aboriginal maker. Here again there is the use of 'maireener' as an eBAY key word to bring these necklaces to the attention to eBAY buyers who are now paying more attention to them. This necklace seems to be of natural colour and at the same time of a colour type that it seems was sometimes dyed.