Joan LeLacheur Quahaug Shell
Joan LeLacheur specializes in making wampum jewelry out of shells found in Aquinnah, Martha's Vineyard, where she lives. It's a medium that she loves and has been committed to for the past 30 years. She fashions each piece with care and attention to detail.
Wampum dates back to 1570 when it was first made by the American Indians and used for ornamentation, communication and currency. Depending on the color and arrangement of the beads, strands of wampum could prompt Indian nations to war, be sent as marriage proposals or be used in burial rites. Messengers, often following secret routes, would carry the wampum from tribe to tribe. Wampum as currency was a different matter, and was used in America until the middle of the seventeenth century. Nowadays, wampum appeals to a wide variety of people. Literally the word means "white shell", but wampum can be, loosely, any gift derived from nature.
Each piece is cut from the quahaug shell, ground and polished by hand, then drilled with diamond drills. The labor is tedious, messy, requires a respirator, and breakages occur. Yet despite all that, much love and care goes into the making of these pieces. Joan's work sees a high turnover rate, so I recommend that you check here often, as new pieces become available constantly.