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Shell Currency Necklaces – Malaita, Solomon Islands

Cut shell disks are the major craft industry in Langa Langa Lagoon off Malaita Island. They are sold in local and regional markets including neighboring islands in Papua New Guinea.

Shell beads are made into necklaces, belts and arm or chest bands. Other disks are strung for use as ceremonial money (tafuliae is one type) which is measured by the fathom (6 feet or about 2 m).

Flat disk beads are made from:
- Red-lipped spondlylus, a spiny rock oyster (romu), is the most valuable because of its pink to red color. This 2 inch (5 cm) shell is also difficult to get at 6-7 fathoms and is only found at certain reefs. Disks may be heated to deepen their color.
- Small white mussels (kakadu) are found everywhere. Some of these are heated to make more valuable colors, orange (faroga) or brown (kee) used for bride price.
- Black-lip pearl shells (kurila) are about 1 foot (30 cm) in diameter and are found in shallow water.
- Seeds, stems of bush plants and spacers made from turtle shell are also used in finished pieces.

Traditional method for cutting shell disks:
- Shells are broken into small circles about twice their finished size. Metal cylinders now often replace the traditional stone hammers.
- The rough disks are rubbed down to flattened them to an even thickness. Sometimes they are placed on a board with individual depressions to do this.
- Each bead is drilled separately. Quartz nodules from Malaita rivers were flaked to make flints for pump drills. Now women use hand drills with steel bits.
- Disks are sometimes heated on hot stones to turn them a different or deeper color. Most valuable are red to pink, then orange, brown, black and white.
- Disks are strung for the final step of smoothing them to a uniform size. Small, even strands take more work and are more valuable. This heavy work is done by the men. Shown are two old-style grooved stones. A fathom of disks is stretched taut on the board. The men grind down along its length with the stones using sand with water. Chinese grinding blocks are used today.

Traditional Langalanga shell money, called tafuliae, is a made up of 10 strings of shell disks threaded together in particular patterns made up of a mixture of red, black, white and brown colours. These strands of shell range in length

from 1.8 to over 2 m. The tafuliae is the end product of a long, labour-intensive process that has many steps. 

There are four different types of shell used to make the red, black, orange and white disks in the tafuliae. A red-lipped rock oyster called romu (Chama pacifica) provides red coloured disks. Applying heat to a small white shell known locally as kee (Beguina semi-orbiculata) makes orange disks. Black disks are taken from large horse mussel shells called kurila (Atrina vexillum). Thick white disks are obtained from a ridged cockle known as kakadu (Anadara granosa). 

Occasionally a fourth shell, kekete, which is very rarely used, is interchanged with kurila.