H16.1848A

From the History Information Station "Object: Clam shell bead blanks showing two stages of manufacture. They were collected among the Pomo of Mendocino County, and were acquired by the Oakland Piublic Musxeum in 1912."History: To transform clam shells into beads, the bead maker rubs off the rough, ridged outer surfaces of the shell, exposing the white, smooth inner layer. The shells are broken into fragments, and the corners of each fragment chipped to give it a roughly circular shape. A hole is drilled in the center of each disk and they are sorted by size. The bead maker then strings those of similar size together for a final smoothing and finishing on a sandstone slab."