What's on My Workbench: The Tiniest Kina Shells I've Ever Found
Look what's on my workbench this week.
These are some of the tiniest kina shells we've found β barely bigger than my fingertip.
They're so tiny and fragile I have to be careful I don't crush themβ¦ or lose them! π
We find these little shells in kina barrens β areas where too many kina have grazed away the kelp.
Without enough natural predators, kina numbers can get out of balance and strip the seafloor of its kelp β which is why keeping their population in check is so important.
Eventually, there's not enough food left and even the kina begin to starve β including these tiny ones that never got the chance to grow bigger.
I love that these little shells don't simply disappear unnoticed.
That's why I love making these shells into wearables. For this design, I'm turning them into little dangle earrings.
Just a little bit of resin to set them in these round settings.