Artist Turns Seashells Into Beautiful Jewelry

Anuj Tiwari Last updated on: 10/28/2015, Permalink

Artist turned jewelry maker, Jessica Galbreth, turns seashells into beautiful pieces of wearable art with no two ever the same.

With a special process that took her years to perfect, she pigments each shell with opaque metallic hues that still allow the beauty and texture of each shell to shine through. She wire wraps them and mounts them and creates unique pieces for ocean dreamers. Just like snowflakes, no two seashells are the same, so each piece Jessica makes is one of a kind.

“This all started when I inherited buckets of beautiful seashells that my Mom had plucked from the shores near her home in Cocoa Beach, Florida. I already made jewelry and began trying to figure out how I could incorporate these shells into my designs. I love colors, so knew I wanted to add some pigment to the shells. I first tried various painting techniques, but each just seemed to cover up the natural beauty of the shell, leaving them flat and boring. After much trial and error, I discovered a way to add opaque pigments with a slight metallic sheen that allows the texture and patterns of the natural shell to still come through the dreamy, mystical colors I add.”