I don't know about specific shells, but in general, when you buy shells they are by-products of the horrible seafood fishing industry.
They rip animals from shells and kill them for food and then sell the shells.

This is a huge topic for me, because I'd love to have a tribal costume with shells and feathers...But, both are inhumane to buy.

In Miami, on the beach recently...I pondered the idea...What if I collect a bunch of shells from around the beach and use those?
But, I know that animals search for a new shell when they outwear or outgrow theirs, and so it kind of disrupts nature to take the extra shells away. So, I thought, maybe if I just collect them from up near the trees, far from the water, that might be okay, and maybe only if I take a couple handfuls instead of tons of shells...I felt guilty collecting and cleaning out empty shells to take home, so I only left with a few small shells from far away, near the trees and roadside.
I won't even use them for a costume, they're too small.
I thought maybe for jewelry.

But, as someone mentioned, I also feel too guilty because if other people see me wearing shells or feathers, whether fake or real, they don't know where I got them from or if they are real. So, wearing them is promoting them, and people will go buy them from some bad source.

I was thinking, if I could find synthetic shells and feathers, I could wear those, but put a page on my website about how I only wear cruelty-free clothing, and include photos, links, etc. to lead people to buy humane versions.
To do this, I need to FIND the humane versions...and I don't want them to look crappy, I want to find some that are synthetic but BEAUTIFUL. If anyone finds links for such things, please e-mail them to me at info@pittsburghbellydance.com, if you don't mind.

It's beautiful to honor nature's creatures by wanting to look like them, wrapping ourselves up in leapord print, seashells, feathers, etc. I love the idea...But, of course, ONLY if it's not from a real animal. Someone mentioned the environment...Once again, if it's synthetic, I want it to be good for the environment and not made of harmful chemical sprays and earth-sad material.

Isn't someone out there crafty enough to start a company that makes organic and beautiful stuff for us, like sea shells, feathers, animal print fabrics, etc.??? I'm surprised it doesn't already exist. Or does it? Anyone know?