A trio of Cowries from the Fijis

It is is still raining heavily in Newburgh on Ythan and so I think that another journey to the lagoons of the South Seas is called for.

I collected these 3 Cowrie shells from the coral reefs of Fiji over 40 years ago. The one on the left is a Golden Cowrie, next in line is a Humpback Cowrie and the one on the right is a Tiger Cowrie. They are still as bright and as beautiful as the day that I picked them up.

The Golden Cowrie is the rarest of the three and has been used as currency throughout the South Pacific. In the Fijis, they were worn by chiefs as a symbol of status and rank.