A New Mirror - Black Rhinestone & Shell

Gorgeous, huh? If you are interested, click here.

Limpet Love

Of the thousands of different seashells made by Mother Nature, I have a few favorites. One of my favorites is the limpet. The aqua limpet to be exact, as there are a few different kinds of limpets, I believe. In addition, it seems that our clients prefer the aqua limpet as well, as whenever we sell anything with limpets, it sells straight away.

Here is a small photo frame with aqua limpets. See what I mean? It is simply irresistible!


While I am discussing this frame, I thought I would mention the incredible workmanship that goes into each frame. I have been watching my mother (our designer extraordinaire) make these for years, and often I will tell her that she doesn't have to go to such extremes when she makes these frames. In the event you have never seen one of our frames, you will find that our frames are meticulously done, with much of the back being shelled as well. As the business-woman of our company, I often recommend using less shells on the frames to save money, but my mother (once again, our designer extraordinaire) would never allow it.


She is a stickler for perfection, and would never allow a frame to leave our studio if it wasn't perfect. I truly respect her for taking this attitude. Honestly, the frames would be just as beautiful without her going to the extremes that she goes to, but she wants our product to be the best, and better than any other shell encrusted item on the market. And you know what? There are. We once had the opportunity to hold and examine a frame made by one of our competitors, a woman whom has literally stolen and copied our designs shell by shell. From the front, the frame looked similar (although no where's as beautiful). But the difference was in the little things my mom does to make her frames the works of art that they are. Our frames are much heavier because we use only the best quality of frames, and we never skimp on shells. Our competitors skimp terribly, and it is just so obvious once you see the finished product.


If you are in the market for an exquisite, one-of-a-kind photo frame, please consider The Shell Room for your purchase. We would be honored to design and build you a one of a kind piece, or you can choose from the many existing frames we have in our studio. If you have any questions, simply email us at info@theshellroom.com.

Our love of Tony Duquette

Our designer is a huge fan of Tony Duquette, and occasionally will use him as an inspiration when designing her own pieces. If you are unfamiliar with the work of Mr. Duquette, and are interested in learning more about his amazing and unique style, I suggest you purchase the above book, Tony Duquette, by Wendy Goodman and Hutton Wilkinson.

Here is one of our Sunburst mirrors, which the designer decorated using mother-of-pearl abalone flakes in the style of Mr. Duquette. The designer loves working with abalone, and would have loved the opportunity to watch Mr. Duquette work his magic.



In 2007 Bergdorf Goodman designed one of their legendary Christmas/Holiday windows as a homage to Tony Duquette, and it was absolutely spectacular. This photo doesn't show any abalone, but if you look close enough, you are sure to see a shell or two!

Our New Photo Frame

What do you think?

Also, just for the record, my mom (designer extraordinaire), was the first artist to use photos of Marilyn Monroe in her frames. Now it seems everyone is doing it. It is quite frustrating. We have had so many people copy us for so long, frankly, I am getting used to it. I know they say that "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery", but is it really?

Anyway, if you are interested in this exquisite frame, you can buy it for a song. The frame is located here.

A Mirror Good Enough To Eat

I know, my title makes no sense. My hear me out.

This next mirror is truly spectacular. It is difficult to explain, so thank goodness for photographs! This mirror took weeks and weeks to build, as my mother (the designer) had to design and build each little gem cluster that adorns this gorgeous mirror.

For some reason, it reminds me of cake.

All Three Rhinestone Frames

These frames are now on eBay. They are SPECTACULAR. Trust me. :)

Our Rhinestone Frame

This is the clear frame. Isn't it gorgeous? It really is an extraordinary frame, and my photo simply does not do it justice. Taking photos of rhinestones is much harder than you might think!

You can check out this frame here.

Speaking of Rhinestones...

I was looking through some photos of our older pieces, and I discovered this little gem of a box. Isn't it just the cutest thing you've ever seen? The underlying piece is a vintage little heart-shaped trinket box. Then rhinestones, turquoise, pearls, small turbo shells, and a beautiful chunk of coral were added.

Perfection.

My Personal Favorite Frame

My mother has created probably 500 seashell frames in her tenure as a shell designer. This one is my absolute favorite, by far. I have no idea why, as it is rather small. But don't let it's diminutive size sway you, this little beauty is truly extraordinary.

Our Art Deco Rhinestone Frames are Coming!

I just took a peek into the studio and saw my mother working on some of her rhinestone encrusted photo frames. These frames are absolutely gorgeous, and they sell like wildfire.

Our Venetian Rococo Pearl Shell Encrusted Mirror

This mirror is currently for sale, and that surprises me since this piece is absolutely exquisite. The detail, the quality of the shells used, and the unbelievable workmanship just make this a piece that is truly unique.

As many current clients know, the designer of our pieces is my mother, Bonnie. I am lucky enough to witness her designing and building these mirrors, and it truly is a sight to be seen. Even after watching her design for well over a decade, I could still never replicate what she does. She is truly an artist.

Pieces for Sale

When we have extra shell items for sale, we usually sell them on eBay. It isn't an ideal place to sell our pieces, as eBay shoppers tend to expect garage sale prices, but hey, all the better for you!

We usually list any available pieces every Sunday, and you can see what we have available by clicking here.

Welcome

Well, finally after much procrastination, we have decided to start a blog for our business, The Shell Room. We felt a blog would be a fantastic way to talk about what we do, showcase some of our newer items, and also alert you to articles and ideas that we really love. We also thought it would be a great way for many of you to see the work that is done behind the scenes.

As always, we welcome your comments ad any questions you may have.

Bonnie & Nicole