Shells have been used by artisans for 1000s of years all around the world to make jewelry and to decorate homes, palaces, and, sculptures. Some of the oldest known jewelry was made from shells and was discovered in the Skhul caves in Israel.
Reconstituted is a term describing stones made of small chips, powder and ground up low-grade stones bound together with an epoxy. The mix is then compressed into blocks and formed into beads.