I love how I seem to learn something new from each of your posts!

Growing up, I remember getting into my mom's jewelry and she had one very long necklace made with 2 rows of these cowrie shells. It would hang to my knees, so it was obviously meant to loop around one's neck a couple times.

Anyway, my parents are from the Azores islands. The Portuguese we're some key players in early exploration and trade routes. Now I want to go ask them if that necklace that I used to tinker with has a backstory!