Complimentary US shipping on all jewelry
Order by Tuesday, December 15 for Christmas.Shipping
Gift cards arrive by email, in minutes.Send one
Christmas Eve: gift cards arrive in minutes.Send one
Merry Christmas from the gallery in Sedona.Gift cards
Holiday sale: 20% to 30% off every piece.See the pieces
Open daily, 10 am to 6 pmOpen daily, 10 am to 6 pm
Est. 1977 · 89A & Jordan Rd, Uptown Sedona
The gallery is just over the hill.
Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte, Coffee Pot Rock and Thunder Mountain
Shell
The shell of marine conchs, cream to peach-pink with a flame-like structure.
Reference specimen, for comparison only: not the stone or metal in a given piece. We do not sell loose stones.
In the gallery
45 pieces · ships to 37 countries
$135
Diné (Navajo)
Conch Shell
Gulf & Caribbean waters
$499
Conch Shell
Gulf & Caribbean waters
$375
Conch Shell
Gulf & Caribbean waters
$499
Conch Shell
Gulf & Caribbean waters
$275
Diné (Navajo)
Conch Shell
Gulf & Caribbean waters
$289
Diné (Navajo)
Conch Shell
16 in. long · Gulf & Caribbean waters
$345
Judith Dixon · Diné (Navajo)
Conch Shell
Adjustable length · Gulf & Caribbean waters
$239
Diné (Navajo)
Conch Shell
Adjustable length · Gulf & Caribbean waters
$255
Diné (Navajo)
Conch Shell
Gulf & Caribbean waters
$195
Diné (Navajo)
Conch Shell
Gulf & Caribbean waters
$255
Diné (Navajo)
Conch Shell
Gulf & Caribbean waters
$985
Conch Shell
Necklace and earrings · Gulf & Caribbean waters
$335
Maxine Ramirez · Diné (Navajo)
Conch Shell
Gulf & Caribbean waters
$195
Diné (Navajo)
Conch Shell
Gulf & Caribbean waters
$155
Jennifer Frank · Diné (Navajo)
Conch Shell
Gulf & Caribbean waters
$335
Trish Largo · Diné (Navajo)
Conch Shell
Gulf & Caribbean waters
$515
Diné (Navajo)
Conch Shell
Gulf & Caribbean waters
$189
Terry Wood · Diné (Navajo)
Conch Shell
Gulf & Caribbean waters
$265
Terry Wood · Diné (Navajo)
Conch Shell
Gulf & Caribbean waters
From $185
Darlene Begay · Diné (Navajo)
Conch Shell
Sizes 7.75–9.25 · Gulf & Caribbean waters
Choose a size
$395
Valerie Yazzie · Diné (Navajo)
Spiny Oyster
Size 9 · Gulf of California
$365
Valerie Yazzie · Diné (Navajo)
Spiny Oyster
Size 6 · Gulf of California
$245
Jimmie Patterson · Diné (Navajo)
Conch Shell
Size 8.5 · Gulf & Caribbean waters
$245
Raymond Coriz · Kewa (Santo Domingo)
Conch Shell
Sizes 9.25–9.5 · Gulf & Caribbean waters
Choose a sizeShell has been worked in the Southwest for more than a thousand years, reaching inland communities through extensive trade networks that linked the desert to the Gulf of California, the Pacific, and the Caribbean. Long before turquoise-and-silver jewelry existed, ancestral peoples carved and strung shell into beads, pendants, and overlay.
It remains a foundational material in Zuni inlay and Santo Domingo heishi, and the pale pinks and creams of conch give lapidaries a gentle counterpoint to the brighter stones in a composition.
Cultural Significance
Shell's deep connection to water gives it lasting cultural meaning, and its soft tones are essential to the color balance of fine inlay. Conch appears in mosaic pendants, channel inlay, and strands of carefully cut heishi, frequently beside turquoise and spiny oyster, where its pale color reads as light against their saturation. Lapidaries shape each piece by hand to fit precisely within the silver.
Geology
Conch is an organic shell, built — like coral and mother of pearl — from calcium carbonate laid down by a living marine animal. Its pale, faintly iridescent surface provides a quiet counterpoint to brighter stones, and lapidaries value it for an even color that cuts and shapes cleanly.
At Mohs 3 to 4 it is soft and porous, an organic material handled with the same care as other shell.
Care
Keep shell away from acids, chemicals, perfume, cosmetics, and prolonged moisture, all of which can dull or etch its surface. Wipe it with a soft, dry cloth, put jewelry on after lotion and fragrance, and store it separately to preserve the luster.
Set in pieces you can buy today. We do not sell loose stones.
This collection includes Native American–made and Southwestern-style pieces; each piece's own page states its origin where it is known.
