In Francis Lee's drama "Ammonite" (2020), a film about a speculative romantic relationship between British palaeontologist Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) and Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan), fossils and shells play an intriguing role.
Anning collects them and catalogues them, but also uses the shells to create souvenirs sold in her humble shop. One day a convalescent Murchison learns from Anning how to make the souvenirs and decorates a mirror with a frame covered in tiny shells.
The mirror becomes almost a token of love and Anning gets upset when she finds her mother pricing it to put it in the shop.
Now, while it is undeniable that some shell trinkets may look rather kitsch, they can also look mesmerising, especially when they combine together a variety of shells perfectly and neatly arranged. An example? Shellwork Sailor's Valentines.
Mainly dating from the 1800s, Sailors' Valentines were gifts, mementos from sailors to their sweethearts. The Valentines consisted in compositions of tiny shells, at times forming hearts, geometrical motifs or even affectionate sayings (for example "Thinking of you", or "To My love"), locked in octagonal mahogany boxes. Quite often two boxes were hinged to one another and were called "double Valentines".
Collectors often thought that sailors would make these Valentines during long voyages at sea, but the variety of shells and materials employed to make these boxes actually led to further researches that showed the Valentines were probably souvenirs bought in places such as the West Indies.
Most sailors' Valentines actually come from Barbados, a key English and American port of call for a variety of goods, including sugar and rum. Souvenirs became popular in the 19th century and shells were common on the islands, so they were easily incorporated into a variety of decorative items.
Valentines became very popular in the mid-to-late 19th century: they would be made by islanders and sold in local shops specialised in marine souvenirs. Shells and seeds were glued onto cotton forming exceptionally intricate and complex patterns and the cotton was then backed by a layer of paper (it is not rare to find Barbadian newspapers behind the cotton in the best sailors' Valentines) used to line the box.
Sailor's Valentines went up in prices: twenty years ago the starting price at an auction may have been $300, but now prices have gone up and a double Valentine may start at $3,000.
Two sailors' Valentines, one with an eight-sided star decoration and a circular star at its center with the slogan "With Love", the other with a heart design at the center within a circular design with three roses and a triangular-patterned border, were recently auctioned at Sotheby's and fetched $7,560 (in past auctions five years ago the starting price for a Sailor's Valentine at Sotheby's was $400 and it was sold for $4,000), so if you ever find an original one for less in good conditions, it may turn not just into a wonderful Saint Valentine's present, but also into a great investment.
To learn more about Sailors' Valentines, check out also the books about this topic, and, if you don't think you'll ever be so lucky to stumble upon an affordable and genuine Sailor's Valentine, well, don't despair - just collect your shells and make your own Valentine. Nothing is indeed more valuable than something made by hand with genuine love and passion. Happy Saint Valentine's Day!
Comments