K K Pacific

When I was quite young the first fossil I ever found was a petrified shark tooth. It wasn’t very big, perhaps half an inch long or so, but it seemed huge to me at the time. The fact that it was found inland in North America over a thousand miles from the ocean far from even the remotest place you might expect to find sharks swimming was lost on a boy of ten.

In my eyes the tooth was, however, a treasure of the first order and became the first step in a long and entangled interest in paleontology, geology, and crystallography, that continues to this day. It lead me on a winding journey through public school science fairs, local and distant rock and mineral clubs, rock tumbling, cabochon shaping, gemstone jewelry making, and my own “Rock Shop” retail business to what in later years has become just pure enjoyment of the natural splendor found in rocks, crystals, and fossils.

It has become very chic these days to wear shark tooth jewelry. Twilight’s New Moon Robert Pattinson sports a large Mako shark tooth in 18-carat gold on a leather cord available from Finn Jewelry for $975.00. They also have a smaller 18-carat gold baby Mako tooth on a cotton cord for a mere $450.00!

For those of us who probably won’t go quite that high there is a real adult Mako shark tooth, approximately 1 1/4 inches long which comes on an adjustable black or brown (your choice) waxed cotton cord available from KK Pacific in Hawaii.

Puka shells originally were naturally-occurring bead-like objects which could be found on some beaches in Hawaii. These were beach-worn pieces of cone snail shells, a kind of seashell. Puka is the Hawaiian word for “hole” and refers to the naturally-occurring hole in the middle of these rounded shell fragments.

Numerous inexpensive imitations are now widely sold however, the majority of which are not made from cone shells. Some that are still made from cone shells have been worked by hand with pliers from whole shells, instead of being formed entirely by natural processes.

The original puka shell beads were very easily made into necklaces, bracelets and anklets because they already had a natural hole which enabled them to be strung like beads. Puka jewelry first became popular in Hawaii, though many species of cone snails, family Conidae, are found in tropical oceans worldwide.

In Hawaii, the wearing of puka shells was traditionally thought to ensure a peaceful and safe voyage, especially for sailors on a long journey, so puka shell necklaces were especially worn by those who had to travel at sea.

KK Pacific, located in Hawaii, is an excellent choice for puka shell jewelry. See their online puka shell listings HERE.

As scientists and politicians ponder the long term effects of the worst oil spill in U.S. history, there’s good news and bad news in Australia. Scientist there have discovered what can only be described as bizarre prehistoric sea life hundreds of meters below the waters of the Great Barrier Reef. That’s the good news.

In an unprecedented mission to document species under threat from climate change resulting in ocean warming, and the effects of chemical pollution of the area’s waters, giant oil fish, ancient sharks, swarms of crustaceans and a primitive shell-dwelling squid species called the Nautilus were among the amazing pictures of deep sea life photographed by submersible cameras at the Osprey Reef preserve.

Speaking earlier, lead researcher Justin Marshall said he and his team had also photographed a number of fish species that were as yet unidentified, including what he called “prehistoric six-gilled sharks”. The photos where obtained using special low-light sensitive cameras which were custom designed for exploration of the ocean floor some 1,400 metres, about 4,600 feet, below the surface.

Research in this region around Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is ever more urgent now due to recent oil spills in this world heritage-listed ocean region. There is also a growing threat to general oceanic biodiversity due to the warming and acidification of the world’s seas.

“One of the things that we’re trying to do by looking at the life in the deep sea is discover what’s there in the first place, before we wipe it out,” Marshall was quoted as saying. “We simply do not know what life is down there, and our cameras can now record the behavior and life in Australia’s largest biosphere, the deep sea.”

The bad news is scientists have previously warned the 345,000-square kilometre, or roughly 133,000-square mile, attraction is at serious risk due to global warming and chemical runoff which threaten to kill numerous marine species and cause disease, cancers, and other effects. Recent incidents, including the Chinese coal ship Shen Neng 1 which gouged a three-metre scar in the reef when it ran aground while making an attempted short cut through the reef and leaking several tonnes of oil into the sanctuary, and the 200,000 litres of heavy fuel oil dumped south of the reef last March when shipping containers full of chemical fertiliser fell overboard from the Hong Kong-flagged Pacific Adventurer during a storm and ruptured the hull. The latter was one of Australia’s worst oil spills.

The Gulf of Mexico shouldn’t be the world’s only focus.

I am simply blown away by the stunning designs of these unique and extremely attractive necklaces based upon bone fish hooks. Found throughout the Pacific region these beautifully carved wearable ornaments are gaining popularity all around the world.

Hei matau are traditionally carved bone or jade Maori fish hook pendants. The indigenous people of New Zealand, The Maori, wore the Hei matau necklaces as a talisman during their travels and spread them are around the Pacific. They are now also made by Polynesian and Hawaiian artisans among others.

These highly stylized fish hooks represent strength, determination, good luck, peace, good health, and prosperity. They were believed to provide a safe passage as one travelled across water . It is also said hei matau symbolizes the wearer’s own position of power and authority.

Considered serious art by many, these jade (greenstone) and bone carvings have been handed down from generation to generation. Present-day Kiwi artists like David Taylor and Stanley Nathan continue this ancient tradition carving beautiful bone and jade pieces of art. These crafty fish hook necklaces are especially loved by kayakers and boaters but are becoming ever more popular among the general public as well.

You can get your own authentic bone fish hook necklace at KK Pacific (http://kkpacific.com). Purchase directly from their website. They ship world-wide.

Bone Fish Hook Necklaces From KK Pacific