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The shell of the Pacific spiny oyster, Spondylus spp., has been cut into beads and used in jewelry along the Peruvian coast and Andes since pre-Columbian times. It had great significance to native American peoples in part because eating the oysters out of season can have hallucinogenic effects that were believed to help to contact the ancestors. The oysters were considered the food of the gods and Spondylus shell was worn only by Inca royalty.

The oysters were difficult to obtain, because they are found in the ocean at depths of 25 meters or more. In most years, they were off present-day Ecuador, but with the warmer waters of El Nino years they would move further south, helping the Inca and their predecessors to plan the agricultural cycle. Thus, Spondylus has associations with fertility as well.

This shells of this strand are Spondylus calcifer, which has a more purple coloring than the orange-to-red Spondylus princeps. The strand measures about 16 in. (40 cm). The beads are cut in classic heishi shape, in graduated sizes, from 3-4 mm in diameter. The holes are small, about 1 mm across.

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