MONICA'S FAVORITE LINKS

Select charter boats from the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii as well as other islands, Chupu Charters provides for the most experienced captains, the best equipped fishing charter boats and your chance of reeling in that "once in a lifetime" catch or world record breaker! Often see sharks, whales, turtles, porpoise & seabirds too! Deep sea fishing trips out of Haleiwa Harbor, on the North Shore, as seen on the Travel Channel and Discovery Channel Shark Week Hawaii!

Wyland Galleries of Hawaii is proud to unveil an exclusive line of "MonicaByTheShore" Sunrise Shells Jewelry Designs! Premiering on October 1st 2013, this will be the first ever retail location to offer the line of "MonicaByTheShore Sunrise Shells"! Select exclusive MonicaByTheShore Sunrise Shell designer jewelry will be offered, and watch for unique Wyland/MonicaByTheShore collaborations including Monica's Sunrise Shells and Wyland's Whale Tail and Dolphin charms in sterling silver and 14K gold! This is a perfect match-up of two long-time friends ocean inspired art and jewelry in a simply amazing environment, you'll want to browse forever!

A feature story about "Sunrise Shells by MonicaByTheShore" in "MidWeek" newspaper, a feature section of the Honolulu Star Advertiser! October 31, 2012

A short & cheerful 3 minute YouTube video showing the smiling faces of happy people from all over the world who enjoy wearing MonicaByTheShore Sunrise Shells!

A beautiful video with breathtaking images of the rare Hawaiian Sunrise Shell from the collection of "MonicaByTheShore", of Haleiwa, on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.

My Blog! New pics and stories about what's happening in my world of Hawaiian Sunrise Shells and all the fun things happening on our beautiful North Shore! Check it out!!

Yasmin Dar of KITV interviews me about the start up of MonicaByTheShore for the morning news show, Honolulu!

NBC News affiliate KGMB & KHNL the Hawaii News Now show interviewed me and showed a series of my photos of a big wave ocean rescue. Here's the video!

Really Hawaiian website will point you in the right direction for authentic Made in Hawaii products and gifts, plus many interesting and informative Hawaiian articles.

Feature article about "MonicaByTheShore"!

Masami Komatsu of TBS "Hawaii Information" broadcasting from Honolulu & to Japan interviews "MonicaByTheShore" to learn all about the Hawaiian Sunrise Shell!

Learn about the start up of " Sunrise Shells by MonicaByTheShore " of Haleiwa, Hawaii, and how Internet marketing on Google and Facebook helped get the business rolling!

Each summer during the month of July the best of Hawaii's artist, photographers, jewelers, crafters, sculptors, carvers and other very talented people converge on the beautiful Haleiwa Beach Park for a weekend open air festival celebrating the arts! There's over 125 juried artisans along with live music, Hula, many different kinds of food vendors, and fun things for the kids! Its a great place to meet people, browse some great art, eat local food and enjoy the countryside by the beach. On the North Shore, Haleiwa Town, Oahu, Hawaii. Event dates for 2012 are July 21 - 22. Stop by to say Aloha MonicaByTheShore & enjoy some beautiful Sunrise Shells!

My Mother's Day gift from my son, Chris, was a private free dive with the wild Galapagos Sharks in 600 feet of water 4 miles off the coast of the North Shore of Oahu! This shark dive adventure from his personal boat "The SEEKER" beats a nice dinner & a card any day in my book!!

Skydive Hawaii has one of the most beautiful drop zones in the world, and they are rated #1 for first time jumpers. In Mokuleia, North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii.

Polo on the Beach! Hawaii Polo Club & Polo Fields is located along the beautiful white sands beach of Mokuleia. A 40 year tradition with international teams competing each Sunday. Enjoy the party after the event with live bands & dancing, food & bar. This is one of the North Shore's best kept secrets!

The Defend Oahu Coalition is a diverse group of community residents, environmentalists, activists and religious leaders, all working together toward one immediate goal: protecting communities on Oahu from the dangerous effects of large scale development. They believe that the beautiful open spaces and shorelines on Oahu are for all residents and visitors to enjoy. They are committed to ensuring that it will be be a resource for generations to come.

Beautiful images of Sunrise Shells are good for you health! Relax, enjoy the calm & soothing effects on your health & attitude!

A story about the efforts to Keep the Country Country on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.

My FAVORITE TV show, and its not only because they are being costumed in my MonicaByTheShore Sunrise Shell Jewelry!! This such a great honor, and makes me so happy!!

YMCA Camp H.R. Erdman is located on the beautiful North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii and has been the place for conferences, retreats, camps and family reunions since 1926. Nestled between the Waianae Mountains and pristine beaches of Mokuleia, Camp Erdman provides the perfect camp setting for kids of all ages.

Sunday Morning Services with Pastor Mike Stangel in the heart of old Haleiwa Town. Meets at 8:00am & 10:00am at the Historic Haleiwa Gym for worship, the Word & fellowship. 66-434 Kamehameha Hwy. Haleiwa, HI NSCF is an affiliate of Calvary Chapels.

Japanese language show about all the wonderful things the Hawaiian Islands have to offer our Japanese friends that come to visit Paradise! Broadcasting from Honolulu, Hawaii and available to 3 million people in Tokyo Japan too! Each Monday at 8:20am. Webcast & Podcast too!

Sunrise Shells by MonicaByTheShore featured on Monday June 14, 2011

Hawaiian legend suggests that Sunrise Shells were the exclusive property of the Hawaiian royal families and that 'commoners' were not allowed to keep or wear them, but were instead ordered to search for the shells for the Chiefs and thier families. These beautiful shells were thought to be sacred and to bestow special blessings to the wearer, of which only the Hawaiian Kings and Queens, Princes and Princesses were worthy.

Unfortunately there are very few sketches of ancient (late 1700s - early 1800s)Hawaiian Kings and Queens. I have researched hundreds of documents, drawings and museum archives but I have not been able to find one picture or description of a Hawaiian monarch wearing a Sunrise Shell.

With the coming of the missionaries in the 1800s also came the adoption of the European style of dress, and so the majority of available drawings of Hawaiian Royalty picture them in European-style dress and adornment. The pictures on this page are of the few that I could find in traditional native Hawaiian costume, and are from the early 1800s.

High Chief Boki and his wife the High Chiefess Kuini Liliha

Discussion on the practice of piercing the shells and the use of adhesives.

To Drill, or not to Drill, that is the question. :) I'm talking about Shells of course! This is a recent concern, of questionable origin, and here are my thoughts on the subject:



1. Piercing (drilling) the shells is the traditional way of the ancient Hawaiians. They couldn't go to the hardware store to buy glue. They used sharpened pieces of bone, tooth or other shells to pierce holes in the shells so that they could string them into leis. They often used their own long hair as a stringing material!

(click link to read entire article)

Hawaian Sunrise Shells are not usually found in perfectly clean, pristine condition. Most of the time they will be covered with calcium deposits, a hard white crusting that grows on the shell as it lies on the ocean floor. Calcium deposits must be removed by using a fine wire brush and many, many hours of scrubbing! If you are buying one of my shells, I have already done this for you, but a lot of people are curious about this technique so here are my How To secrets!

Get comfortable, put on some good music, and with shell in one hand and a fine wire brush in the other, start brushing! Just like sanding wood, brush your shell with short, quick strokes that go with the direction of the shell's ridges. You will see a fine white dust coming off the shell if you are doing it right. Keep brushing! You can use a dental pick or needle to pick out any calcium deposits that are embedded in tiny holes or crevices in your shell. A magnifying glass helps a lot, I use a jeweler's loop to get an almost microscopic view of my shells.

Scrubbing with a fine wire brush is the best method for cleaning shells without compromising the shell's color or shell strength. Since the calcium build-up is much softer than the shell itself, the wire brush will remove the calcium without damaging the shell. Some people use muradic acid to disolve the calcium quickly but this is dangerous because the acid will disolve your shell too, so don't try this short-cut! Sunrise Shells are pourous, the acid will leach into the shell and will eat away at it, creating holes, crumbling the edges and also ruining the color. Vinegar gives the same results, although it is slower than acid. Don't use either - only use your wire brush and a pick!

Sometimes a Sunrise Shell might just be dirty. Maybe it was lying in the muck or even in tar on the ocean floor. Use a grease fighting dish soap like Dawn and a toothbrush and scrub away! You can use a touch of Clorox bleach for stubborn dirt.

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A good source for all Hawaiian Seashell identification.

Follow MonicaByTheShore & "Pin" your favorite Sunrise Shell jewelry creations and seashell home decor items to your Pinterest boards!

Become a FAN on my Facebook Fan Page and get updates on new Sunrise Shell designs as soon as they're created!

A very cool & fun photo sharing experience! Pass some free time looking at beautiful & relaxing Sunrise Shells & scenic Hawaii photographs!

Join me in my Google+ Circle! A great place to see whats new in my Sunrise Shells designs and find Google+ Discount Specials!

MonicaByTheShore's personal Flickr photostream. * Caution, besides Sunrise Shells it may also include lots of pics of big fish, surfing, pirates, my garden, kids, big waves, geckos, whales & sharks, sunsets, dogs, flowers, food & other "Day in the Life" types things! Enjoy!!! Its just for fun! :)

Just a fun rumble through the Tumblr with MonicaByTheShore and lots of beautiful photos to enjoy!

Small business directory service, get company info & directions, read or write reviews, see photo gallery, etc.

Hawaiian Sunrise Shell gift items and Home & Office Decor with a touch of Aloha from the North Shore! Seashell theme kitchen and dining room items including glass Cutting Boards, Coasters, Place Mats and Jar Openers. Beach in a Bottles decorative bottle displays for Hawaiian Seashell collections and Beach Sand in all shapes & sizes, all contain Sunrise Shells from Hawaii! Mouse pads for the office too! Create an environment of Aloha in your home wherever you live!

Enjoy~

Christmas Gift Certificates Available!!! See them here on this Page!