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Enjoy the Beauty of the Oceans
Sterling, Shell and Gemstone Jewelry
By Marta Howell
(Scroll to end for Bio)
Of Kailua, Hawaii
We selected
some beautiful
Pendants and Earrings
All jewelry is shell, gemstone
and Sterling
Hallmarked by the artist
Marta Howell Sterling, Pua Shell and Amethyst
Pendant
This exquisite large pendant measures 1 and 3/4
inches across at the widest point and is 2
inches long including the bail. Very nice shell
with purples and blues enhanced by some yellow
green. The purple amethyst blends in
beautifully. (necklace not included). Notice
that on the back it is marked Marta Howell 925
(sterling). Weight on my scales is 11.2 grams.
Pendant comes in special Marta Howell gift bag.
Price: $110
Marta Howell Sterling, Pua Shell and blue topaz
pendant.
This lovely large pendant measures 1 and 1/8
inch across at the widest point and is 1 and 1/4
inches long. Very nice shell with purples and
blues. The blue stone blends in beautifully.
Notice that on the back it is marked Marta
Howell 925 (Sterling). Weight on my scales is
11.1 grams. Pendant comes in special Marta
Howell gift bag.
Price: $102
Marta Howell Sterling, Pua Shell and blue topaz
pendant.
This lovely large pendant measures 7/8 inch
across at the widest point and is 1 and 1/4
inches long. Very nice shell with purples and
blues. The light blue stone blends in
beautifully. Notice that on the back it is
marked Marta Howell 925 (Sterling). Weight on my
scales is 8.8 grams. Pendant comes in special
Marta Howell gift bag.
Price: $82
Marta Howell Sterling, Pua Shell and amethyst
pendant.
This especially nice large pendant measures 1
inch across at the widest point and is 1 and 1/2
inches long. Very nice shell with purples and
blues. The purple stone blends in beautifully.
Notice that on the back it is marked Marta
Howell 925 (Sterling). Weight on my scales is
7.6 grams. Pendant comes in special Marta Howell
gift bag.
Price: $92
Marta Howell Sterling, Black Lipped
Oyster Shell and Golden Citrine Pendant
This exquisite large pendant measures 1 inch
across at the widest point and is 2 inches long
including the bail. Very nice shell with amber
and a rainbow effect with light rose and light
green enhanced by black (thus the name, Black
Lipped Oyster). The golden stone blends in
beautifully. Notice that on the back it is
marked Marta Howell 925 (sterling). Weight on my
scales is 11.6 grams. Pendant comes in special
Marta Howell gift bag.
Price: $106
Marta Howell Sterling, Black Lipped
Oyster Shell and Golden Citrine Pendant
This especially nice large pendant measures 1
inch across at the widest point and is 1.5
inches long including the bail. Very nice shell
with amber and a rainbow effect with
pearl, light rose and light green enhanced by
black (thus the name, Black Lipped Oyster). The
golden stone blends in beautifully. Notice that
on the back it is marked Marta Howell 925
(sterling). Weight on my scales is 7.7 grams.
Pendant comes in special Marta Howell gift bag.
Price: $80
Marta Howell Sterling, Black Lipped
Oyster Shell and Golden Citrine Earrings.
On the back is marked Marta Howell
Each
earring measures 1 in. long by 5/8 in wide not
including the loop. Earrings come in Marta
Howell gift bag.
Price: $78
Marta Howell Sterling, Pua shell and Blue
Topaz Earrings
Each
earring measures 7/8 in. long by1/2 in wide not
including the loop. On the back is marked Marta
Howell. Comes in Marta Howell bag.
Price: $48
Marta Howell Sterling, Pua shell and
Amethyst Earrings
Each
earring measures 1 in. long by 5/8 in wide. Push
back clasp for pierced ears. On the back is
marked Marta Howell. Comes in Marta Howell bag.
Price: $78
Marta Howell Sterling, Pua shell and
Amythest Earrings
Each
earring measures 3/4 in. long by 1/2 in wide not
including the loop. On the back is marked Marta
Howell. Comes in Marta Howell bag.
Price: $48
Marta Howell Sterling, Pua shell and
Ameythst Earrings
Each
earring measures 3/4 in. long by 1/4 in wide not
including the loop. On the back is marked Marta
Howell. Comes in Marta Howell bag.
Price: $48
Marta Howell of Kailua has a master's degree in
philosophy from the University Jagielonski in
Krakow, Poland. She has taught languages, and
has managed a beauty salon/spa and fashion
business in Poland and an apparel company in
Thailand.
Then this woman of considerable energy found
herself living in the tiny seaside village of
Kohtao, Thailand — population 900 — with no
electricity, no car, no shopping malls and no
television. Her husband, David, who was raised
in Kailua, was in the ocean all day with his own
diving company. So to pass the time
productively, she started wandering the beaches,
collecting shells. Soon she had quite a stash —
"about 200 pounds."
She sat and polished them by hand, seeing that
"Taking layers from the shells was like finding
a new world within the shell." She began making
little jewelry gifts for friends. After moving
to another Thai island, Kohsomui, she sold her
designs to tourists. When she and David decided
to move to Hawai'i, she couldn't leave the
shells behind. So she shipped them — "all of
them," she says.
This gave her the raw materials for a new
business. During the past three years, from her
Kailua home-based studio, Howell has designed an
extensive collection of bracelets, necklaces,
pendants and earrings. Her work is contemporary
and bold, not for the timid. She has an adjunct
studio in Thailand, where others manufacture the
pieces to her specifications, to enable her to
complete more pieces and focus on design rather
than craftsmanship.
She begins with mother-of-pearl, sometimes
combining it with corals and semi-precious
stones such as tourmaline, amethyst, citrine and
garnet, as the muses move her. David taught her
silversmithing, and she uses silver to bind the
pieces together. The effect is often of a silver
frame around the shells and stones. The shapes
of the shells guide her, she said: "I see art in
every piece of shell. It's a never-ending
adventure."
Word has traveled around the world about
Howell's jewelry. She now has contacts who
provide her with shells from places as far-flung
as Britain, Indonesia, Norway, Denmark,
Australia and the South Seas. She often trades
finished pieces for the shells.
Howell said the temperature of the ocean, age of
the mollusk and algae and seaweed they eat help
determine the colors the shells take on. Those
from Sumatra have a golden hue; from Norway,
blue-pink; and New Zealand's are green-blue.
Howell said one of the properties she likes best
about working with mother-of-pearl is that there
is a shade that works with every skin color.
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