found this and other in a back alley at the Tucson show a few years back.
Quite unusual. It is a pearl coated cowrie shell. Very much like the
Buddhists did in early China.
Reminds me a bit of Douglas' "vampire" pearls. Real little snails that invaded his pearl stock, and some got trapped and coated by nacre. Most weren't this distinctly outlined though.
Ah, yes! Thanks Dave That might be why Douglas' "vampires" had a thicker, softer nacre, less definition, and a much more "rounded off" shape to the trapped shells; whole creature versus half.