Found on eBAY: Maireener Shell Necklace – Melbourne/AUS

Clearly the seller here had little information available to provide clear provenance – this is typical and has long been so. The price achieved is modest by comparison with similar necklaces made by contemporary Tasmanian Aboriginal women. About two weeks before this sale closed such necklaces with clear Aboriginal provenance were given "Cultural Heritage Icon" status by the National Trust in Tasmania.

The granting of this status seems to do two things:

• Firstly, belatedly acknowledge the Aboriginal cultural continuum embedded in the shell necklaces (maireeners) made by Tasmanian Aboriginal women;
• Secondly, place a new emphasis upon clear Aboriginal provenance when claiming Aboriginal authenticity.

With new information unfolding to do with the commercial production of such necklaces in Tasmania from the late 19th Century up until circa 1960 a new imperative to be clear about authenticity.

Tasmanian Aboriginal Shell Necklaces Win Icon Status inTasmania

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE

What's in it for anyone if something is dubbed an "icon"? It seems that the National Trust thinks that there is something in it for them, and maybe so. The long and short of this kind of thing is that there is some kind of marketing imperative involved. That's alright so far as that goes but when you look at the list and read the rhetoric that comes with the announcement of such things there has to be a tinge of doubt about the sentiments that may be found lurking around somewhere.

Among the disparate mix of 2009's Tasmanian Heritage Icons there are the "shell necklaces made by Indigenous Tasmanians". In wording the nomination like this there seems to be an acknowledgement that there has long been some unarticulated background knowledge that not all shell necklaces made in Tasmania had or have Aboriginal authenticity.

It could be difficult working out whether or not you are looking at "an icon." Well not really if the there is no clear provenance or certificate of authenticity it seems that the safest thing to do is assume that it doesn't have the credibility that would enable it to be a 'Tasmania Heritage Icon.'

For contemporary work this is something that can be arranged relatively easily but it gets to be whole lot more complex when it comes to Antique & Vintage examples.

NEWS LINKS

• [1 – Mercury H'bt 12.11.09 – Bread, honey icon aim]
• [2 – ABC: 9.11.09 – Tasmanian 'icons' recognised]
  
• [3– Advocate – 9.11.09 Cradle Mountain is `choice' with kids]
• [4 _ ABC: 09.11.09 - Icons Listed ]

Found On The Internet – Tasmanian Authenticity

The ever present question of AUTHENTICITY arises when necklaces like this one pop up. Yes the shells are:

• maireener, Rainbow Kelp, Phasianotrochus irisodontes, shells;
• the shells are relatively mature shells;
• most probably from Tasmanian waters;
• natural shells found in Tasmanian waters;
• used by Aboriginal necklace makers in Tasmania – BUT this necklace may well not be an authentic Aboriginal necklace, see the clasp ;
• typical of the kind of necklace known as 'Hobart Neckclaces';
• typical of the kind shells found in necklaces thought to have been made by Bertie May or even M M Martin – both non-Aboriginal makers Martins, 1875 to 1930s?, Bertie May, late 1940s - 1960s?

For notes on Aboriginal shell necklace making in Tasmania – CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT WORTHpoint & WORTHopedia

Found On The Internet – Tasmanian Authenticity

The question of AUTHENTICITY arises when you see things like this. Yes the shells are:

• maireener, Rainbow Kelp, Phasianotrochus irisodontes, shells – one may not be but it is obscured by other shells;
• a mixture of juvenile and more mature shells;
• most probably from Tasmanian waters;
• natural shells found in Tasmanian waters – BUT these are dyed in many/most instances;
• used by Aboriginal necklace makers in Tasmania – BUT dying in this way is NOT typical of Tasmanian Aboriginal shell necklace making practice, if at all;
• typical of the shells found in necklaces thought to have been made by Bertie May or even M M Martin – both non-Aboriginal makers Martins, 1875 to 1930s?, Bertie May, late 1940s - 1960s?.

For notes on Aboriginal shell necklace making in Tasmania – CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT WORTHpoint & WORTHopedia

eBAY Find – Maireener Necklace(?) USA

It is interesting that the seller describes the necklace as being "Aboriginal" and of "maireener shells". There is increasing evidence that such necklaces are NOT BY NECESSITY of 'Aboriginal production.' In fact this necklace is as likely to be:

• A 'Hobart Necklace' – made in Hobart anytime between 1875 & the 1960s?
• A 'Hobart Necklace' made by M M Martin Hobart & Honolulu (1875 – 1930s?) or Bertie May Hobart (1940s to 1960s) neither of which were Aboriginal.

It is possible that this necklace is of Aboriginal production. However, there is mounting evidence that 'Hobart Necklaces' were made in large quantities between 1875 and the 1960s in Tasmania and exported internationally. Watch this space for the unfolding evidence.

eBAY Find – Maireener Necklace(?) USA

eBAY ITEM: No. 250410206595
Seller's Code: judah-ok ( 1617) 100%
CLICK HERE to visit seller's eBAY Store
Item Location: Lawrence, Kansas, United States
Seller Posts to: Worldwide
History: 1 offer @ 13.09.2009 10:35 (EST)

Seller's Description: "This is an original creation incorporating select tiny & rare Pacific Island Maireener Shells [1] - [2] & tiny irridescent glass seedbeads for embellishment of the violet colored cotton thread treasure bag.. This Tropical [3] Treasure of a shell is amoung the smallest collected & drilled. The neck pouch, trinket or medicine bag, has been recently made by myself & is new, clean, with no odors or previous owner. No broken shells.. The soft neck strap measures 28 inches and the pouch is 2.5 inches long with an opening that expands to a 3" diam. with 2 tasseled drawstrings ....." ..... [1: Tasmania is not in the Pacific and lies between the Tasman Sea to the East & The Indian Ocean to the West] ... [2: "maireener" is the Tasmanian Aboriginal name for the kelp shells in this object and it sometimes is used to describe necklaces made from them as well] ... [3: If Tasmania is being invoked here Tasmania lies within the Temperate Zone @ 42° South]

Tasmanian Necklace Shells – Aboriginal Collectors

The following shells are those used by Tasmanian Aboriginal necklace makers who are licenced by the Tasmanian Government to collect the live shellfish for necklace making.

SCHEDULE 4 – PRESCRIBED FISH FOR DEFINITION OF ABORIGINAL ACTIVITY

Regulation 22 Click here to go to the Act

Shellfish

Common or used name ... Scientific name

1. Banded or Silver Kelp shell ... Bankivia fasciata

2. Banded Periwinkle or Blue and Brown Gulls ... Nodilittorina unifasciata

3. Black Nerite or Black Crow ... Nerita atramentosa

4. Buckies, Pheasant shellor Painted Lady ... Phasianella australis

5. Cats’ teeth or Estuarine Mud Whelk shell ... Batillariella estuarina

6. Cats’ teeth or Variegated and Lined ... Rissoina Rissoina lintea

7. Cats’ teeth or Variegated ... Rissoina Rissoina variegata

8. Conniwink or Dark and YellowButtons ... Bembicium melanostomum

9. Gold-mouth Conniwink ... Bembicium auratum

10. Jewelled Top shell ... Calliostoma armillata

11. King Maireener or Choice Sea-weed shell ... Phasianotrochus eximius

12. Maireener (Pink-tipped Kelp shell) ... Phasianotrochus apicinus

13. Maireener (Rainbow Kelp shell) ... Phasianotrochus irisodontes

14. Mud Whelk shell ... Zeacumantus diemenensis

15. Oat or Dove shells ... Mitrella spp.

16. Otherside Penguins or Pygmy Margin shell ... Mesoginella pygmaeoides

17. Penguin ... Austroginella muscaria

18. Rice or Rye shell ... Truncatella scalarina

19. Striped Dog Whelk ... Nassarius pauperatus

20. Striped-mouth Conniwink or Striped Buttons ... Bembicium nanum

21. Toothies or Toosies ... Marinula xanthostoma

22. Top shell ... Clanculus dunkeri

23. Wedge shell ... Paphies cuneata

24. White Dog Whelk ... Nassarius nigellus

TASMANIAN SHELLS SURVEY CLICK HERE

Tasmanian Shell Necklaces in Paris 1855

Hobart Mercury Tuesday 24 July 1855 NB: Text digitally recovered and only partly corrected
TASMANIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO PARIS 1855 Nor. I.

UNLIKE: the Sydney Catalogue, which comprises the list and description of tho articles, many of which were forwarded for local exhibition only, and not for transmission to Paris, -and hence the difficulty of instituting a fair comparison,-tho Tasmanian Catalogue only embraces the contributions of products which were actually forwarded to the Exposition.... The number of Tasmanian exhibitors was 90, and the various pioduct* transmitted, according to the gioup and class arrangements,were as follows :1st Group, Class I.-Mining and Metallurgical Products. " - Cla« TI,-ivory thing relatingtothe Management of Trees, to Hunting, Shooting, and Products obtained without cultivation-Mineral.Vegetable.'Amina!, Agriculture. VI.-Machinery and Apparatus for Work- shops." X.-Chemical Manipulalotions, Dyeing and Printing, Paper, Leather, Skins, India Rubber, &c.
1st Group, Class II.-'Preparation and preservation of Alimentary Substances.
Class X11.-Hygiene,Pliai niacy,Surgery, and Medicine.
Class XVI.-Works in Metal.
Class X VII-Goldsmitli'sWork,Jewellery, &c.
Class XX.-Woollen & WorstedManufactures.
Class XXII.-Flax and Hemp'Manufactures.
Class XXIII.-Mercery, Hosiery, Carpets, Embroidery, &c. &e.
7th Group, Class XXIV.-Pioiiitcts of Industry, - Industry applied to Furniture and Decollations,
1st Group, Class XXVI.-Drawing andModelling, Letterpress and Copper plate Printing ana Photography.
Class XXVIII.-Painting, Engraving, ami Lithography.
And a few Miscellaneous Articles, consisting^ of a bundle of broad paling, contributed by Mr. John Abbott, six billiard CUPS by Sir William Denison, a churn of Huon Pine and Wattlewood by Mr. T. I, .fennings, five brushes of Colonial Manufacture by the Executive Committee, and eight necklaces of shell, prepared and worn by the Aborigines of Tasmania, as ornaments round their neck U""A e"pT6poVlí"a,tutting opportunities to wade through the Catalogue, and in a succession of notices to bring these contr¡butions under the attention of our readers, as a nieass of directing their enterprise to the successful prosecution of their duty in developing the resources of the colony,

Found on eBAY: Maireener Shell Necklace – UK 2

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!

eBAY Find – Maireener Neclace, Southern UK

The seller here did "not know much more about this fine vintage necklace other than it came from an estate in south England with some other vintage jewellery ... it's stunning quality and such a special piece it came in the jewellery box as pictured with an English manufacturers retail stamp ... I have sent many mother of pearl items to Australia ... [this necklace]deserves to be housed in a museum."

The 'Art Deco' reference here may be a useful clue or may turn out to be something of a 'red herring'. In Tasmania such necklaces did have a kind of fashion currency in the late 1940-50s as "Tweed & Twinset accessories." The necklaces have had souvenir currency since G. A. Robinson's time in Tasmania – 1830s. It is also very likely that these shell necklaces were being exported to the UK between the two World Wars by the Martin family, [1] and possibly other makers as well, in relatively large numbers.

There is circumstantial evidence for the maker's description. However, it is clear that the shells came from Tasmania given that their distribution is confined to Tasmanian and Bass Strait waters.

Found via eBAY _ Maireener necklace in the USA

Click on an image to enlarge

Click on an image to enlarge

It is truly amazing that this necklace has turned up in the USA. In Tasmania they have been regarded as being rare albeit that Aboriginal women are making them again but not in large numbers.

As will be noted from earlier posts there is the possibility that necklaces like this one were made in quite large numbers in Tasmania by non-Aboriginal makers from the late 1870s. and up until the 1950s(?).

Evidence is beginning to appear that suggests that some of these necklaces were being exported and that either shells or necklaces or both were being exported to Hawaii early in 20th Century.

Watch this space for developments.

Found on eBAY: Maireener Shell Necklace – UK

CLICK ON AN IMAGE TO ENLARGE

The network has started searching on the internet for references that may lead to new insights into cultural production using Tasmanian shells – and specifically to do with necklace making and 'Tasmaniana'. The necklace above turned up on eBAY and in the UK. There is increasing evidence that a great many necklaces of the kind represented in the image above [bottom] were being produced commercially in Tasmania alongside Tasmanian Aboriginal-[1]-[2]-cultural production.

What is of interest here is that the seller in the UK knew enough about the items they were selling to describe them as being; "Aboriginal" – albeit with a question mark & not Tasmanian – "vintage" and as "Mariner" – albeit not spelt 'maireener' as was possibly intended. Interestingly the word 'maireener' has gained considerable currency and arguably due to the internet and the possibility research cultural products more extensively this Tasmanian Aboriginal word used by the women making their necklaces has entered a wider lexicon.

The glass bead and maireener shell necklace is of interest in that it may have resulted from a 'restringing' in the UK or elsewhere. It is not typical of Tasmanian Aboriginal products. Also the maireener shell necklace has a clasp which also is not typical of Tasmanian Aboriginal products.

Watch this space for developments!

George Burrows Tasmaniana Shell Necklaces

Launceston’s Brisbane Street is home to the proverbial ‘Brisbane Street Barons’. It is Launceston’s main street and the hub of the CBD. Like a number of streets in central Launceston Brisbane Street’s residential properties are circa 1890s to 1930s. It is unsurprising to find that at various locations along the street shell necklaces were once traded. A curio shop, jewellery shop and tobacconist among others figure in anecdotal reports of “shell necklaces being on sale” – particularly in the 1930s,40s & 50s.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE THE FULL COLLECTION

George Burrows purchased a collection of shell necklaces from an auction in Launceston 1978/79. It has been suggested that the necklaces "were made by Miss Stewart" whose property was being dispersed at the estate clearance sale. 'Miss Stewart' had a jewellery shop on Brisbane St.

These necklaces are now a part of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery's collection in Hobart. It is doubtful that 'Miss Stewart' did in fact make the necklaces. On the balance of probability, and the circumstantial evidence, she may well have been a part of the trade in shell necklaces made by Tasmanian Aboriginal women on Bass Strait's Furneaux Islands. She may have also been involved in restringing necklaces made by these women – one necklace in the Burrows Collection seems to suggest this.

The necklaces in the George Burrows shell necklace collection now held by the TMAG are typical of the necklaces that included maireener and other shells that were produced by Aboriginal women on Cape Barren and Flinders Islands in Bass Strait.

There is more to this story so watch this space for developments and if you have any information please leave a comment OR contact the network via Email: shellnecklaces@7250.net

For more information