✨ Shell Spotlight: Jingle Shells! 🐚🔔

Jingle Shells

✨ Shell Spotlight: Jingle Shells! 🐚🔔

Also called Mermaid’s Toenails, Mermaid’s Money, Gold Shells, or Saddle Oysters, these delicate bivalves (scientific name Anomia simplex) are some of the most charming finds along Florida’s coasts. 🌊

💛 What makes them special?

• Thin, fragile, and translucent — almost like sea-stained glass when held to the light. 🌞

• Found in a variety of colors: shimmering golden amber, pearly white, silvery gray, orange, and sometimes pink.

• They get their name from the sound they make: when strung together, they “jingle” like little bells!

📍 Where to find them:

• Common along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of Florida.

• They attach themselves to rocks, driftwood, oyster beds, or even other shells using a natural silky anchor called a byssus thread.

• When they break free, the tides carry them ashore, often in clusters.

🧜‍♀️ Fun Facts:

• Nicknamed “Mermaid’s Toenails” because of their delicate, shiny look.

• Known as “saddle oysters” because of how they sit and attach like tiny saddles on hard surfaces.

• Used in the past for wind chimes, jewelry, crafts, and even as natural sequins thanks to their shimmer.

• The golden ones are especially prized by collectors and crafters alike.

👉 Sheller’s Tips:

• Look for them near piers, oyster beds, and rocky areas.

• Handle gently—because they’re so thin, they can crack easily in your bag.

• Try holding them up to the sun to see their stained-glass glow.