Hawaiian Puka Shell Necklace for Keiki Child Kid Toddler Lightweight Vintage 70s

Description: A 12” lightweight (0.9 Ounce) Vintage 70s Puka necklace for any boy, girl or toddler with Barrel Clasp that will keep the necklace secure as kids rough it up at play or the beach or in the waves. Great gift for your children or grandkids. Made with SMALL LIGHTWEIGHT graduated 8.7, 8.3, 7.9, 7.54mm Hawaiian Pukas. G E N U I N E ∙ H A W A I I A N P U K A ∙ S H E L L ∙ N E C K L A C E A U T H E N T I C ∙ V I N T A G E ∙ 7 0s (Read the story about this authentic never owned or worn 70s necklace further down below in this section.) ATTENTION Puka Necklace Buyers: Based on my eBay search results for ‘Puka Shell Necklace’, I discovered that many of the ‘puka’ necklaces listed that state they are a ‘puka’ necklace containing ‘puka’ shells are NOT Puka Shells! Though most of those necklaces are beautiful shell necklaces, they are not puka shell necklaces. Puka shells are distinct from any other kind of shell or beach shell remnant, and that is why they have such high value. A’ PUKA SHELL’ is created by nature from a particular species of mollusk shell (the Cone Shell) after the animal inside the shell has died, and not manufactured by man. The ‘puka’ shell is created after decades of tumbling in the surf and sand for that Cone Shell mollusk to be worn down to the remnant of the shell called the ‘puka’ shell. (See my description below of ‘the definition of the Hawaiian word ‘Puka’.) Puka shells are disc shaped like a ‘contact lens’, but much thicker, with the outside of the shell curved outward (convex) and inside of the shell curved inward (concaved). The larger the puka shell size the thicker the shell. Some puka shells have irregular shapes that are not as round-disc shaped but have the same convex and concaved sides. If you want to know that what you’re looking at in a listing is actually made of genuine ‘puka’ shells, those shells should look like the shells in this necklace. Have a typical disc shape and thickness, and in addition to white, can come in a variety of colors, hues and patterns, in sizes from 2mm to over 30mm. Necklaces made of small puka shells will still look the same as large puka shells, but just a smaller version. BUYER BEWARE! V I N T A G E ∙ 1 9 7 0’ s ∙ C O L L E C T I O N VINTAGE ∙ BUT ∙ MODERN ∙ SHELL ∙ JEWELRY CUSTOMIZE NECKLACE LENGTH OPTION: You can have the necklace shortened or lengthened to your desired length, by my reducing or adding the necklace shells: Message me with your preferred NECKLACE LENGTH and I’ll make a Custom Order for you. O T H E R ∙ I N F O R M A T I O N • Materials: Hawaiian Puka Shells • Necklace length: 12” • Number of Puka Shells: 116 • Puka Shell Color: White/Off-White • Puka Shell Sizes: Approx. 7.54mm, 7.937mm, 8.334mm, 8.731mm Graduated • Necklace Weight: About 0.9 oz. • CLASP: Silver Finish Barrel Clasp • Chain Style: Bead • Style: Boho & Hippie • Condition NEW Never owned or worn • All items are nicely packaged ready to gift in gift boxes. T U R N ∙ A R O U N D ∙ T I M E • This item is ready to ship in 1 – 2 business days via USPS Ground Advantage Mail. USPS Ground Advantage Mail from Hawaii to the U.S. Mainland typically takes 3 – 6 business days. T H I S ∙ V I N T A G E ∙ N E C K L A C E’ S ∙ S T O R Y – N E W – N E V E R ∙ O W N E D ∙ O R ∙ W O R N H A N D ∙ M A D E ∙ I N ∙ 1 9 7 6 As one of the major ‘Hawaii Movers & Shakers’ of the 70s worldwide Puka Shell craze, I sold thousands of puka necklaces from 1974 through 1976 with my Waikiki retail shop and wholesale to Hawaii and U.S. mainland retail stores. (It’s possible I’m the only one of those 70s ‘Hawaii Movers & Shakers’ still alive!) However, in 1976 the Philippines flooded the market with thousands of cheap, so called, puka shell necklaces. Though some of the necklaces were made of puka shells harvested from islands in the Philippines, most were unauthentic ’manufactured’ necklaces made by collecting thousands living cone shell mollusks; then killing the animal in the shell; then cutting off the very top of the cone shell (the part of the cone shell that would naturally become a puka shell after the animal dies and the shell tumbles in the ocean over many decades), then polishing the edges to give the cut shell the appearance of an ocean polished puka shell. Unfortunately, the people who were buying puka shell necklaces at that time were ignorant of those facts, having no idea what they were actually buying. Due to the flooding of the market with those cheap imported necklaces in 1976 I closed my business, and before it was offered for sale, this VINTAGE 70’s necklace along with my other shell jewelry creations at the time WERE STORED IN RESERVE. Then, 47 years later in 2023 I became aware of the new popularity of Hawaiian Puka Shell Necklaces again. So, I opened and made available that reserve to the public, so they too can enjoy my unique vintage ‘Puka Jewelry Creations’ along with my other vintage ‘Ocean Jewels Hawaii’ creations. This authentic Hawaiian handcrafted necklace was made in 1976 with Pukas collected on the Waianae Coast, Oahu, Hawaii in 1976 as were all the other necklaces listed in this shop, and has been stored in reserve, untouched and unseen, until now. This makes it a unique piece of vintage jewelry, a timeless beauty that has never been owned or worn. NOTE: Along with the hundreds of necklaces I stored in reserve and are now offering in my Etsy shop, were an assortment of thousands of unstrung pukas, that enables me to also make custom necklaces to your design requirements with vintage 70s pukas. T H E ∙ W O R D ∙ ‘P U K A’ The word "puka" means ‘hole’ in Hawaiian. Puka shells start out as Cone shells. After the Cone shell’s animal dies, the shell tumbles in the ocean and sand until they become natural little disks with holes in the center – natural ocean jewels. Puka shells are found here on the beaches and chosen because of a naturally created hole in the center, usually caused by the top of the shell being broken off after many decades of tumbling in the ocean and crashing in the surf resulting in the opening of the center of the shell. Then tumbling in the surf and sand gently smoothing all the rough edges. Hawaii’s Marine Biologists state, except for the very small ‘baby’ pukas that can take a decade or more to form, it often takes 50 to 100 years, or longer for some, to form the final puka shell found on Hawaii’s beaches. Each puka shell is so special and unique, no two are alike, and each hold so much ocean history. They have natural grooves and divots as well as worn areas because they are a natural, not a manufactured material. Owning a Puka Shell Necklace is owning a unique piece of the ocean’s history. I have always loved the natural beauty of the colors and patterns of shells and the uniqueness of each shell. I consider them ‘the jewels of the ocean’. I wanted to share the beauty of what nature, and the ocean created with others by creating beautiful shell pendants, earrings, necklaces, leis, and bracelets to emphasize the colors and patterns of these ocean jewels. The appeal and beauty of shells inspired ancient Hawaiians to adorn themselves with these natural jewels of the ocean. Now, ‘Ocean Jewels’ Hawaii makes it possible for you to have and own the timeless beauty of Puka Shells. You are more than a customer. We are Ohana (a family). Your happiness and satisfaction are very important to me. If you've any questions do not hesitate to contact me. It's my pleasure to help you. ❤️ Mahalo nui loa (Thank you very much) for checking out my eBay shop. BUYER’S CAUTION: Unfortunately, I’ve discovered in my google research, that among the many legitimate Hawaii sellers that sell genuine Hawaiian necklaces made from authentic puka shells they are now collecting from Hawaii’s beaches, today there are also people, selling online, and representing the necklaces they’re selling as made in Hawaii with Hawaiian puka shells, when they are actually Philippine ’manufactured’ necklaces made from living baby cone shells using the same process as I just described above, and sometimes polishing the bottom and edges of the cut shell to make them look like ‘ocean polished pukas’ and calling them puka shell necklaces. BUYER BEWARE! © 2023/2024 All images are copyrighted by ‘Ocean Jewels’ Hawaii. All rights reserved.

Price: 59 USD

Location: Aiea, Hawaii

End Time: 2024-11-19T22:19:08.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD