Our special video series looks at some of the more unique shells at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum on Sanibel, ...

1,200 BC: Cowrie Shells The first use of cowries ... The earliest known use of wampum, which are strings of beads made from clam shells, was by North American Indians in 1535.

Wampum, a type of shell bead, were used as currency by Native Americans while whale teeth were exchanged for goods by people in Fiji. The cowrie, however, proved especially popular and endured for ...

The Cowrie shell, part of the Cypraeidae family, is found in Western Australia and is known for its glossy exterior and spotted pattern. This particular shell is extremely rare, with only a ...