Seashell enthusiasts gather at Sanibel, Fla.

Conchologists, the people who study seashells as a science, will be gathering March 8-9 for the annual Sanibel (Fla.) Shell Show, sponsored by the Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club.

The islands of Sanibel and Captiva, located on Florida’s Gulf coast near Fort Myers, enjoy the reputation as being one of the best shell-collecting spots in the world.

 

And the Sanibel Show is “the most important in the country, if not the world,” for those who create and collect seashell artwork, said Pamela Boynton, a local Sanibel artist with a national following. 

A major attraction at the shell show is the exhibit of Sailor’s Valentines created by contemporary artists who honor the tradition of producing hand-made symmetrical works of art in an eight-sided frame by gluing down individual seashells on a cotton backing. A glass top protects the mosaic artwork. 

Dorrie Hipschman, former executive director of the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum in Sanibel, described Sailor’s Valentines as: “Love letters to the world.”

 

Years ago, the items were purchased at Barbados in the West Indies as keepsakes by sailors, whalers and other mariners who were passing through. They would carry them home to present as gifts to their loved ones. The peak of the craze occurred in the late 1800s. 

Stacey Henson of The News-Press, published in Fort Myers, wrote that the first time Pamela Boynton saw a Sailor’s Valentine, she couldn’t decide how she felt. “I told my husband, I can’t tell whether it’s really tacky or really beautiful,” she said. 

Now, nearly 30 years later, Boynton is “one of the most well-known artists in the genre, who painstakingly repairs antique pieces,” Henson wrote. The process of restoring 19th century Sailor’s Valentines “has led me to a deeper understanding of and appreciation for this awe-inspiring art form,” Boynton said. 

Boynton has become an authority on the subject of Sailor’s Valentines. She has written extensively on the intricacies of the art form that was perfected by female Barbadian artisans. 

The originals ranged from 12 to 18 inches across, but modern Sailor’s Valentines can be much larger…or smaller, down to the size of a pocket watch.

 

Henson visited Boynton at her home and observed: “Her light-filled studio is filled with glass bottles displaying shells, separated by kind and color. From minuscule pieces half the size of a grain of rice to inch-long pieces she uses for flowers, they come in yellows, oranges, pinks, greens. She often incorporates her favorite color, blue, in her pieces.” 

Boynton continues to gain inspiration from her creations. “To this day, when I complete a Valentine and look at it head-on, the first thing I think is: There are thousands of shells in dozens of colors in this case, and every one of them is completely natural in color...a testament to the true brilliance of nature.”

 

Karine Almir, a shell artist from Glendale, Calif., advised: “Everything must be thought out and planned out before you start working. From the moment you glue down the first shell, there is no turning back. Every angle and line must be correctly drawn for the design to work. If off by even a single millimeter, or the shade of color slightly different, the whole work might be thrown off course.”

 

Mary Burton, one of the Sanibel Shell Show organizers, is fond of quoting the late William W. Jordan of Fort Myers, who was one of the masters in shell artistry. He once commented: 

“People say I just pick up shells; rather, I take a life once lived and put it in a place of honor.”