This necklace poses some interesting problems. Firstly, the shells almost certainly Tasmanian but their colour is more extreme, and more 'purple' than the 'natural' maireneer shells used by Aboriginal makers. The shift in colour could be accounted for if these shells were dyed . It is thought that non-Aboriginal makers did use aniline dyes to enhance the shells' colour – 1900-1940s(?).While the seller suggests that the ribbon here is a European(UK?) addition as a part of a restringing, there is another possibility. It seems that ribbon ties such as this had some currency in Hawaii and it possible that the Martin family used the device in their Honolulu operation.
As we keep finding, things move around the world! In any event this necklace is coming home. A Tasmanian member of 'The Network' won the eBAY auction and it will therefore be available for a range of tests. As we keep saying, watch this space!
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