This striking necklace comes with a cone snail shell pendant that measures between 1.5 and 2 inches (please allow for some variation in size). The chain measures between 18 and 20 inches (as each necklace is handmade please allow for variation). Before the introduction of currency, cone snail shells were used as payment in traditional Rukai society. According to the Rukai oral history, when the Dutch left Taiwan on ships, after being defeated by Koxinga, a Chinese warlord, in the 17th century, they dumped large numbers of these shells into the sea. The Rukai people though that the Dutch had left these as gifts, but were most likely lightening their load for a speedier escape.
Photos courtesy of Henry Westheim Photography/Asia Photo Connection