Friday’s Favorites is all about the lovely brown Tahiti shells and brown mussel shells, that fall under the Mother of pearl category. These buttons here have the same amazing coloring of the Mother of pearl buttons, with a brown base instead of a white base. In this picture the buttons and buckles carved from Tahiti shells are the deeper brown shells, with the vibrant pink, blue and green shimmer; the brown mussel shell buttons and buckles are lighter in color but still will show a faint blue, green shimmer.

This is my “Urban Village” necklace, made from vintage Tahiti shell buttons and a new brown mussel leaf pendant. The base of the necklace is made from Hanah silk rouleau. A few of the buttons had large holes that I could use to thread the rouleau through and I attached the larger buttons with beads, fresh water pearls, and smaller buttons. The bracelet is strung on Soft Flex, my “BBB” pattern; with brown mussel shell and metal buttons with shanks, fresh water pearls, and glass beads. I also added dangles of beads and buttons.

These top two bracelets are covered with Tahiti and brown mussel shell buttons. The first bracelet, my “Klimpt Kollage Kuff” pattern,  is a vintage French Jacquard ribbon; the second bracelet, my “Beaded Ribbon Bracelet” pattern, with a base of vintage velvet ribbon. The second bracelet is made from Tahiti shell discs, with brass buttons set into the discs, then strung with leather cord. The last bracelet base is made from silk rouleau braided into a base; the buttons were stitched on with seed beads.

This is my “Cobblestone Collar”, the base is made from seed beads, with fresh water pearls and vintage and new Tahiti and brown mussel shell buttons. I included three pairs of earrings that I wear with this necklace and the Urban Village necklace. The first pair of carved Tahiti and brown mussel shell buttons have a post glued to the back. The second (really big pair) are made from vintage Tahiti shell leaves with porcelain cabs. The third pair are made from vintage  brown mussel shell and metal buttons, with a 20 gauge silver wire running through the holes of the button and used for the earring hook.

For this necklace I strung pink mussel shell, tourmaline, pink opal and fresh water pearls on Soft Flex. The bracelet is made from carved pieces of pink mussel shell, strung on elastic cord. The pink and peach mussel shell buttons are rarer than the Tahiti or brown mussel. The pink and peach mussel shell will have a brownish/yellow glow as opposed to the AB finish of the white Mother of pearl and Tahiti shells.

The top bracelet is my “Jeweled Pi” pattern, made from pink mussel shell discs (which are often referred to as Pi),  seed beads, pink tourmaline, fresh water pearls and shell chips. The second bracelet is made from peach mussel shell buttons carved into the shape of butterflies, this is my “Button Brigade” bracelet pattern. The vintage oval buttons are carved from pink mussel shell; to the right is a single pink mussel shell disc that I didn’t use in the bracelet.

The nacre of the Mother of pearl, Tahiti shell, and mussel shells is very delicate, it can scratch easily so keep these away from sharp objects. Excessive water, or putting these shells in the dryer will remove the layers of nacre, and therefor damage the shell beyond repair! If you need to clean this type shell, try rubbing with a soft cloth, or a cloth dabbed in a mild solution of soap and water.

Enjoy- Christen