It's amazing what shell jewelry you can wear in New Brunswick power. We love to get a behind the scenes look at local life on our tours, and our favorite way to do this is to meet people and see how they live. It is not always easy, because such experiences often only arise through contacts on site. While touring around New Brunswick, we were fortunate enough to be able to look over the shoulders of Marcia Poirier at work during a visit to her craft workshop, Wild about Wampum. I was even able to lend a hand and see what she does for a living. And that's extraordinary: Marcia provides Wampum. that's shell jewelry, come on.
shell jewellery
You are sure to ask yourself what is Wampum? Well, even the Wampanoag Indians on the east coast of North America made wampum. On the one hand, it served as jewelry, on the other hand, it documented historical events, treaties between Native American tribes and even peace treaties between Native Americans and Europeans. Wampum is made from seashells. There are wampum belts and shell bracelets that are famous across North America for symbolizing peace agreements of historical importance. But wampum can also be seashell jewelry, and that's what Marcia and her husband Dave make in New Brunswick. They make figurines out of shells, which are used as pendants, brooches, or other jewelry.
Self-taught craft
“How did you come up with the idea of making jewelery out of shells?” I want to know from Marcia. She laughs and says: “It happened more or less by accident. As I often do, I went for a walk on the beach and collected shells, the big, round ones – the quahogs, as we call them. It struck me how beautiful their color is when the outer layers are scraped off. That gave me no peace. So when I got home I started removing those outer layers.” Dave interrupts, “It took us two years to find the right tools to work the clam shells. They are so hard that today we only use diamond cutters for them. Anything else is too weak.”
Where do the shells come from?
I ask her where she got the mountains of shells that are waiting in her workshop to be made into shell jewelry. “I get these from local fishermen. They charge a high price for it because they are actually much too big to sell. Quahogs are harvested much smaller for consumption. Only then are they considered tasty, even though that's nonsense. But that's the way it is. They can only sell them to me in that size, and they charge a higher price for it.” She also recounts how she was initially laughed at by the Indians in her neighborhood when her failed attempts came to nothing. However, over time she earned their friendship and respect and is now well respected for maintaining her ancient craftsmanship. Shell jewelry as a link between cultures.
Making shell jewelry is a dusty business
Marcia leads us into her workshop and puts on her face mask. "It has to be, because the dust generated during the polishing process is so fine that it settles in the lungs." The lively, little Acadian looks like a construction worker in her work clothes in front of the dusty grinding wheel on which she works one of the shells before polished. She sands off the outermost layers quickly and with practiced movements. Then she cuts out a heart-shaped piece and holds it out to me: "Now it's your turn. Now you're going to make shell jewelry out of it." I swallow, and soon I look exactly like her – with a face mask and apron: "You have to wear them, otherwise you won't be able to get the fine dust out of your clothes."
This is how shell jewelry is made in New Brunswick
Marcia shows me how to work on the piece of shell and gives me finer and finer grinding wheels, and indeed: an inconspicuous shell, which I would never have expected to have such intense colors on the beach, becomes a shiny shell jewelry that feels wonderful under the fingers . When I wear the necklace around my neck today, its shape tempts me to touch it and stroke it again and again. A nice feeling when you have made such a souvenir yourself. For me, it's definitely one of the most beautiful souvenirs I've brought home in a long time. Thank you Marcia for this great opportunity to look over your shoulder at work!
And if you want to experience it yourself:
Wild about Wampum
845 Mountain Rd
Moncton Moncton, New Brunswick
nouveau brunswick,
Canada E1C 2R9
Incidentally, shells and shell jewelry do not only play a role in New Brunswick. on Sanibel Island in Florida It's all about the shells too. Or take a look Prince Edward Island, From there come particularly delicious tasting mussels.
Travel Arrangements:
Parking at the airport
Here you can reserve your parking space at the airport.
Arrival:
Arrival by plane, bus or train*. Air Canada, Lufthansa, Condor and Icelandair fly from Germany to various airports in eastern Canada.
Car Rentals:
Cheap car hire - book quickly and easily!
Camper Rentals:
Hotels:
Hotels in New Brunswick * You can book through our partner booking.com.
Do you already know:
- Sanibel Island - This island is all about clams
- Winterlude in Ottawa - figures made of ice and snow
- Elvis lives - in Emilia Romagna
- Oysters sample mussels and quahogs on Prince Edward Island
- New Brunswick Canada
Source for shell jewelry to make in New Brunswick: local research. Thank you to Tourism New Brunswick for inviting us to this trip. However, our opinion remains our own.
Text shell jewelry from New Brunswick: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
