A favorite style of jewelry for beach lovers and dreamers, puka shells are a naturally occurring type of shell bead that can be used to create shell necklaces and leis. Made from the shells of cone snails, or Leptothyra verruca, these white seashell beads are sourced from beaches in tropical waters across the world. The beauty of a genuine puka shell necklace lies in the fact that they are completely unique and shaped like the snail’s exoskeleton. Authentic puka shell necklaces may be made from a single piece of shell or strung together in a strand of beads that are then hung around the neck.
While puka shell necklaces have been used for centuries in a wide variety of cultures, it was the ’70s hippie movement and a certain teen heartthrob that really helped them hit the mainstream. Initially popular for their “beach aesthetic,” puka shells quickly became the preferred necklaces of surfers and later embraced by bro culture in high school and college-bound youth, as well.
It’s hard to believe, but it’s true that many of the white puka shell necklaces found on retail store and online shelves today aren’t actually made from authentic Hawaiian shells. To be truly authentic, a genuine puka shell necklace must come from a cone shell (like the ones you see in our collection) that has been gathered from a beach in Hawaii. It takes someone to go out and find the right bits of shell for this process, and this is a very time-consuming and labor intensive task! It isn’t uncommon for a single necklace to take hundreds of shell pieces to make. Puka Shell Jewelry