Sepik River Region, Papua New Guinea

Hand carved from a clam shell

This type of currency evokes time immoral. The creamy softness of the painstakingly worked shell, a double circular form found in objects dating back to prehistory in conjunction with the organic, amoebic qualities in the shell plus it’s hand-hewn attributes, result in an ethereal beauty.

Meticulously carved with bamboo and sand, yua’s are valued not only for their size. As with all fine art, the artists degree of prowess directly relates to its value. In yua currencies, thinness is the ultimate expression of skill. The artist risks everything by going too far. These examples are all considerable fine specimens.