Hi Paeonia,

Although I don't recognize them, they seem somehow familiar, I'd guess a product of the Phillipines..... The bead on the left in the closeup appears to be made of 14 nesting shells...I could only guess at the construction closeup, and even then would perhaps have to ruin one to make a better guess...!

I found this photo online but I have a stretch bracelet just like it. The shells are polished. They are not symmetrical when you look at the cut edge. They are shaped like a smile or a crescent moon, almost straight on one side and rounded on the other.

Because of the shape I think they were cut from the edges of a conical shaped snail shell. I'll look for a photo of the type.

I thought at first they were nautilus pearl, but the shape doesn't seem correct.

Nice beads. Clever use of shells.

I saw a polished shell yesterday that gave me this idea, but maybe the pieces that make your beads were cut from snail shells shaped like these in the photo. The shell I saw had the surface polished away and looked very pearly.

The photo came from the link. If you look at the left column, there are a lot of other shells to look at, but I haven't the time. I don't know this company except for viewing the photos.

I said I didn't have time, but then I looked anyway.

These shells called pearl(ized) among pong look like they would be the ones, at least for my bracelet.The second photo calls them nicoticus.

But if you look at Trocas shells, you will see the white polished variety.

Looking again, your beads seem rounded (not pointed) at the ends, so perhaps these pearlized Umbonium shells are a better candidate for your beads. They are very small though, under 1/2 inch.

The iridescent shells are "pearlized seashells" or seashells that have been processed to show their natural MOP (mother-of-pearl) layer.

I used to think they were simply bleached to product this effect but i think that would only lighten the color.

Does anyone know the process used to pearlize a natural shell?

or on any pearlizing technics, but wanted to share these pearly shell beads that I had since long time and found only recently that these are very sought after old Tasmanian mareener shells that were strung by indigenous people. Maybe many person have them in a corner of a drawer as I've put them aside long time as they are tiny and very fragile to use in design. These are tiny at 9mm at the largest point but pretty with rainbow iridescence and very pearly.
I didn't find anythings in the forum archive about this either while it seems there were many discussions on shell beads.
Shell beads are new to me and I'm very happy to discover its beauty.
Best,
paeonia

might be very close to what my beads are made of. I'm so ignorant that I imagined that the formed beads could be a type of shell !
You link is great with nice photos. I'll try to go through to learn more about shells. This is totally new to me and learn me again on the infinite variation of our mother nature !
Thank you so much birdi...
paeonia

on page 17, there is a photo of the same necklace as mine and commented as " 1900's Fiji shells: strand of bunched shell spheres "
Again this proves a book is so very useful.
Well, other comments will be still appreciated much...

Cool, you found them. I had no idea they were so old. It shows that shells have been polished for many, many years, and cut into smaller pieces to form other shapes. Nothing new under the sun.

since it was probably done at one time on a fish line, I should be able to do it a 2nd time. But still afraid to think that all parts may spill all over my hands...

i think these necklaces were made for 1930-50's tourists, mediterranean or possibly further east.
each shell section has double holes which may suggest they were made by the people who also made short necklaces using 2-hole M.O.P leaf shapes with similar clasps, possibly wherever pearl shell buttons were made.