The seashell gathering frenzy

Collecting stuff seems to be something many people do, some for pleasure, some for investment and I suppose some for both. This article is not about me; it concerns my 82 year old aunt whose origin is from Naxos and who has an absolute obsession with gathering seashells.

Why? I really don’t know. She claims it is because not a single one is the same as another, they are all totally unique. She spends at least 3 month a year in Naxos since her retirement. Over the years (and they are many) she has stuffed jam jars, fish bowls, wicker baskets and glass vases with them from every seaside she has sever stepped foot on. Here is the best part, they cost nothing. They are interesting and each one is totally unique. Like a work of art. In fact, they are as unique as people, they may look similar but they are very different to each other.

Looking at them under a magnifying lens reveals their tiny differences in shape, size and colour. All tables and shelves of her home on Naxos are already full of the seashell pots. Having already filled up her house in Athens and nowhere else to put the newly gathered ones, she is now asking for help. No way!

I only recently found out that some types of shells were ounce used as currency. Who knows, if we ever go back to that economy she might already be rich!