Wampum is a Native American term for “money”, and was originally used by natives as currency.

      In the 1600s and 1700s, Wampum was made in the form of beads carved from the purple sections

of the Quahog shell. The Quahog is a type of large clam found in numerous bays along the shores of

the Atlantic ocean, from as far north as northern Canada to as far south as areas of Florida.

     In those days, the value of the beads carved by the natives was tied to the various hues of purple

coloring in the Quahog shells – the darker the purple, the more the beads were worth.

     In trade, the natives would use the beads just as we use paper bills and metal coins today.  For

example, at one point in time a string of Wampum beads was worth five British shillings.

     Wampum beads were so respected that they were viewed as legal currency in many respects. In

fact, until as late as the 1780s the respected Harvard University accepted Wampum beads as payment

for tuition there.

     Today, while it is no longer accepted as currency, Wampum is said to bring the owner good luck

in financial matters - - - making it both beautiful and valuable. 

     Centuries ago the natives used sticks and sand to create their beads, a process which must have

taken both great concentration and great amounts of time.

     Today, each Wildabout Wampum "objet d'art" is a unique, one-of-a-kind piece, hand-crafted

through the use of special diamond tools. Just as in the days gone by, however, each piece is created

by meticulously sculpting the rare purple sections of the Quahog shell. And while the shells can be

found along the entirety of  the Atlantic coast of North America, only about 1 in 25 contains the

striking purple coloring coveted for Marcia’s shell sculptures. Those rare finds from the waters of the

Atlantic are carved, then repeatedly sanded to perfect the glassy, mirror finish. Some of the pieces

are then also accented with hand-crafted sterling silver highlighting.

     . 

     Meanwhile, more recently, Marcia has expanded her creations to include carvings out of the

wonderful pink hues of the Queen Conch, which are found in tropical regions such as

the Florida Keys and The Bahamas.

These new creations can also be found, and ordered, through our catalogue section on this website..

Simply click on "Catalogue" and then on "Conch".