A $110 piece of resin is a bargain? We live in totally different worlds. ;)

A nice looking, large clamshell that appears to be real for $110, is a bargain. I have seen them for 3x as much iirc.

I guess, too, I considered real ones, which is really crazy pricey.

I like it. Do you have anything in yours like in the picture? I don't think $110 is a lot for an accessory piece.

They look cool planted with succulents too.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f7/3c/65/f73c65d2fbd054b804f5705b4f3ec80f.jpg

I have an aluminum one in my bathroom, I suppose it was meant for serving, but for years now I have thought it an awesome cotton ball holder although it's big.
Love clam shells; the shape is divine, resin, metal or real.

I love.

Elegant and fun! I love all things Nautical! Check this out! https://www.facebook.com/chalkcouture/photos/pb.577762278984732.-2207520000.1436378130./875406479220309/?type=3&theater

I like it too and think that is a great price :)

I think it's pretty cool looking. Given its shape, I'm having a hard time visualizing how it would hold chilled drinks. Maybe you just pour it in and everyone grabs a straw? ;-)

LOL, Linelle. It's bigger than it looks. We had ice in it and mini Acqua Pannas.

Joanie, I don't have anything in it normally. Somehow I think it looks more real empty.

I like it! Sounds like a deal to me.

Mtn, I know you could have gone to a souvenir shop and bought a beautiful LARGE shell for that price, and it would be the real deal, not a chunk of resin which will someday live in a landfill, forever. But mtn, if you're happy and satisfied with your purchase, i'm happy for you. Enjoy! ;)

I think it's stunning.

I love it, and I love beach-type decorations to remind me of where I love to be most-by the sea.

I got a good deal on this from Ethan Allen-bought it on a lark:

Seashell with stand.

The reason I posted this is because, if you look around, it is hard to find a LARGE real-looking one, cheap. For example, RH had a similar sized one for over 300. With this one selling at a third the price, I worried I wouldn't be happy with it. So I thought I'd share my experience if others might have an interest.

As to its being resin, as you might imagine, I started out wanting a real one. First, I could not find any of them anywhere near as large ... This is 27" wide. Second, even ones 2/3rds the size were listed for upwards of $1500.

So, if anyone can find a 27" real one for $100, please let me know!

Don't let anyone shame you because you bought something. If it brings you joy, it's worth it.

Idk sometimes, I thought it was pretty uncontroversial!

Hey that might be a good, cathartic thread though, Mimi. Things You Are Ashamed of Buying, lol.

I've been in a lot of souvenir shops and I've never seen a real one for less than $100. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen anything like this in a souvenir shop...I must be looking in the wrong places (esp. as I just paid more than this for a decorative piece of coral that was much smaller...

I followed your link to Wisteria and found a chair I liked though, so you may have cost me $779.97 (still debating) Bad influence! ;)

I think it's simply a case of different strokes.

Beagles, ooh, show us the chair. Love Wisteria.

Btw did you mean $1,000?

Love it. I have had real shells as accessories and they start to crumble over time. Good choice.

Mtn's clamshell does not have to clog up a landfill someday; I am graciously offering to take it when she dies. Just remember that at your next estate planning :-) !

My MIL has several real ones at their beach house. She got them all at yard sales over the years. She uses them with ice for buffet serving, and full of rolled-up towels in a couple of bathrooms.

Beagles, I have, actually in several shops in S Ca. I think the last one was in San Luis Obispo. And San Diego for sure. The last one I looked at was at least 1 foot and if I remember correctly, $100+. I thought it was over priced, but if it were something I *chose* to bring into my decorating, pribably not.

"Things you are ashamed of buying" lol, that would be a hoot of a thread.

or another title could be " Show us your non biodegradable accessories"

I love the lines of your bowl, really nice.

I have seen the real ones on average starting at $1000 retail for that size. I guess if you live in Hooterville and can buy a decent house for $20,000 you can also find real ones for $100. Not in my world.

I'll wait until it hits Home Sense for $39.99.

mitchdesj - those are both great idea for threads. I have a couple of things that could fit into both categories.

That's a Tridacna gigas, I believe. They can be as large as 5 feet. They are from the South Pacific and Great barrier reef, so shopping in FL or CA makes no difference.

The largest I've seen for a real one is about 20", and they are hard to find. First dibs has them for about $1500, but of course they aren't known for bargains.

Most people can't tell if it's a good fake.

They are rather trendy. Not my thing, but hey different strokes for different folks! I'm not sure if you've ever read the blog "For the Love of a House", but Joan has a real one that is huge! She bought it from a neighbor, who was moving, for $75!! In fact, she has a pic of it on her most recent blog post. FWIW, I love that house and she has such wonderful taste. Every room is beautiful, as is the yard. Probably my most favorite "blog house", the one I would most want to live in.

If anyone wants a heavier one, I was just flipping thru a new PB 'Outdoor Spaces' catalog. They have one made of 'cement' for $149 that is 31x22x11. Cement to me means heavy as all get out but you could use it outdoors for drinks or a planter.

Oh, it's a trend. Now I get it.

Survey of large faux and real clamshell prices:

Resin: $240, 400, 695

Real: $1900, 4000, 2750, 1600, 2200, 1650, 1250, 4950, 2500, 2400, 2800, 3500, 3850, 2900. (a couple of those for over $3000 were doubles)

And the outliers: $385 (smallish),$300 (11"), $925, $975, 900.

and $12,000 for a double, "museum quality".

It's actually probably become *more trendy of late, but I have a resin shell that is probably at least 7 years old (I don't think it's been ten years) and Tony Duquette and others were casting resin and plaster shells in the 1940s and 1950s. And on the coasts I think the giant shell thing has been around since the Victorians. So it may be currently trendy, but it's not really a trend.

But what explains the prices?

I don't have a clue what drives prices for most decorative objects, really. But $100 does seem like a good price for a resin one of that 27" size. A 17" one is available for $70 at craft stores, $55 on sale. Ballard's 20" is $139, and the 23" available through Houzz is $164.

I think I would rather have a plastic one than a real one because they can make as many plastic copies as they want from one real specimen.

I have a real one that was given to my father about forty years ago. We always had it in our house growing up and I've had it in various places in my house but mostly use it as a bookstop, it's so thick that it doesn't really make a good bowl -- it's very heavy. It's not nearly as large or pretty as others I've seen though - it might not be the same kind of clamshell. I've never considered it to be trendy, I guess because we've had it forever. I like yours a lot, Mtn -- it's very pretty.

I would very easily use a shell like in the OP as a centerpiece. If I saved myself the cost of flowers, it would pay for itself very quickly.

Looking on the bright side,

ML

I do think they are on trend right now, in that people now use them in all types of settings. IIRC they are in the DC townhouse of Stephanopoulos, in the fpl. In coastal decor, I think they are kind of a mainstay. They have been around so long and copied in so many materials I think they can seem kind of goofy, too.

The prices of real ones are due to the rarity of real specimens I suppose? Or limits on their export? Now that someone mentioned it, I recall swimming over giant mollusks, like these, on the Great Barrier Reef. So cool, you could watch them "breathe", as they gently open and closed under water.

Gail, Almost anything from family is a treasure in my book! I do think yours is a different species.

ML,I used to spend a lot on floral arrangements around holidays or when we entertained, in our old house. But both my homes are more casual now ... I don't like cut flowers in either setting. I much prefer a big bowl of green apples or pears, or lemons and limes, or the ubiquitous hydrangea we have growing on both properties, even supermarket orchids. Yes, much cheaper!

ETA - Beagles, I forgot to say the chair is lovely. Don't you have a caretaker who can take delivery? UPS will leave things on our porch and then we have someone put it in the house; rather than paying someone to sit there all day?

KSWL, That's hysterical. But do I put you in the will as KSWL or KSWL2?

Outside, uh oh. I might actually get that for the pool. It weighs 44 lb, so yeah, its not great for the DR table!

So glad you love the clam shell, Mtn. I thought it was perfect when I linked it back when. Funny how your resin clam shell at $100 is slammed when a reindeer they sold from magnesia for about the same price was praised when I posted a few years ago at Christmas! Different strokes.

I think we should start a "Things We Are Ashamed of Buying" thread!

Allison, I don't think anyone "slammed" the purchase. We all have different tastes and budgets. I've purchased resin Christmas tree ornaments, but at a much lower price point.

By that time I will be kswl100 :-)