Puka Shell Necklace

It’s such a nice word, puka. And when you thread a few dozen of them on a string, they make for such a nice minimalist necklace – well, minimalist depending on the combination of colours used, but the way the shells form a perfectly smooth tube makes them look both solid and simple. They originate from Hawaii, where what’s left of the apex of a cone snail’s shell is found on the beach, and the stringed end result is worn as a day-to-day version of the more festive flower lei. Puka shell necklaces are supposed to bring luck. Elizabeth Taylor (film star, 1932–2011) was an early fan. Hippies wore them in the ’70s. Californian surfers rediscovered them big-time a decade or so later. Hang Ten, Reef, Rip Curl, Billabong. Which makes them either fit or super unfit for a revival, who knows. Revival or not, the puka shell necklace is a great summer accessory thanks to its effortlessness. It’s neither pearls nor precious metal. It’s like piping; it looks like the trace of a marker pen on a silhouette – a graphic delineation of where head and torso meet:

Face
Neck
– NECKLACE –
Chest

What a puka shell necklace does, most of all, is nicely interact with the shirt it’s worn with. It aligns 1:1 with a crew neck, creates an interesting triangle when worn with a V-neck, and turns an open polo shirt into something actually sexy and three-dimensional. Also, a puka shell necklace with Speedos – that’s pure nudity defying complexity. At night, this classic accessory makes for a cute flourish at a not-too-formal dinner. Maybe with a shirt half open.

The actual challenge lies not in wearing a puka shell necklace but in finding one. Puka shells, the ones that wash up on the shores of Hawaii all by themselves, are laborious to find. Of course there are imitations, good and bad – cheaper shells, wooden beads, even plastic. Jewellers snub them; precious-stone dealers don’t consider puka an actual stone. Asos or Urban Outfitters may suddenly carry them (not sure that’s a recommendation), but your best bet is the messy rack at your local thrift store. Good luck – which is indeed why they were invented in the first place.