Displaying my Cowrie collection.

[Tengu]

Well, I am moving.

And my new place has a glass fronted cabinet.

I posess very few decorative items and was thinking of putting my shells in it.

But my collection is mostly cowries; not big and sculptural shells (which would look best)

4 inches long is a big cowrie. Most are smaller.

Wondering how best to display them; the big ones I thought of making a plinth of acrylic tube...but what about the smaller?

 

[Toddy]

We collect the tiny ones, like a lot of the folks who wander the shorelines do and generally they're just put into a fancy glass jar.
Seems a pity in a way, not to do more with them.

There was a fashion for a long while for shell decorated boxes. If you don't mind glueing them down.....

On t'other hand, if it's a 'collection' collection, then maybe some kind of way to fix them like butterflies to a contrasting background ?

M

 

[daveO]

How about a modern take on the old taxidermy displays where you recreate the natural environment for the shells? I had a bunch of driftwood bits kicking about waiting for a project so I piled them on the window cill, added some air plants and a wooden bird and it makes a nice display. The plants are loose so I can take them out to water them. You could find a nice bit of wood or a rock and some pebbles and arrange the shells as if they were still alive.

 

[saxonaxe]

" On t'other hand, if it's a 'collection' collection, then maybe some kind of way to fix them like butterflies to a contrasting background ? "

Similar thoughts Toddy..

Does the glass fronted cabinet have shelves fitted ? If so, a Winter project for you.
Make some shallow wooden trays to fit the shelves, hardboard bottoms and 25 mm batten for the sides, then fill them with clean fine sand (Silver Sand ) and lay the shells on the sand, their natural home.

 

[Tengu]

All good ideas.

It is indeed a`collection` collection.

Just by chance I saw some cornish seashells in those case frames in an antique shop...Very well done (and £15-20...) But local shells are a bit flatter or smaller than my cowries (I do have local shells though)

So I had a trawl through the charity shops. I did not find a deep frame I liked; I did find a nice wood frame which could be converted.

Currently it has a beveled edge mirror in it. (Im sure someone will like this) It was £4

I now need an acrylic sheet for the front...but acrylic isnt cheap <sighs>

 

[Robson Valley]

There's a display box called a "Riker Mount". It's a large pad of soft cotton with a glass front.
It's pretty good for really lumpy specimens like your shell collection.
They aren't very elegant but the black tape edges could be painted.

Acrylic. Nah. Glass shops often take in the broken windows and cut squares, etc.,
which they call "salvage glass." Usually a lot cheaper than new and just as good.
Somebody doing hobby picture framing might have a good deal.

 

[Janne]

IKEA usually have deep frames that might fit.
I looked online for you, and the frame ‘Ribba’ might suit you.
Difficult to see, you need to visit IKEA yourself!

 

[daveO]

I now need an acrylic sheet for the front...but acrylic isnt cheap <sighs>

New acrylic can be expensive but charity shops are full of old picture frames with acrylic 'glass'. Find one big enough or too big with removable acrylic and cut it down to size.

 

[Tengu]

Well, I was looking around, and I managed to find some old acrylic display fittings.

But guess what, I found some tumblers in the back of the coupboard.

Upended they make good plinths.

I will see if I can find some driftwood, DaveO...its suprisingly rare here.

(But I have lots of sea glass)

 

[Broch]

Have you considered using one of these (ignore the contents, I wasn't going to disassemble it for the photo)? Old print frames; they turn up occasionally in charity shops but more often in bric-a-brac shops. The different sizes of the internal 'frames' allow a variety of sized objects that can be held in place by sticky pads if necessary. If your cabinet is glass fronted why do you want an additional 'pane' on the display?

 

[daveO]

I saw this on ebay earlier and thought of this thread. Not a game I've heard of before but could make an interesting DIY project and the counters can be anything you have as long as they're about the right size.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dakon-Ga...295209&hash=item260dbacee3:g:adMAAOSwiOZcGUhu