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Quantity: 10, 50, 100 or 1,000 drilled cowrie shells
Size: 3/4 inch (19 mm)

The Tiger Cowry, also known as the purple cowrie feeds on polyps on coral reefs. It is most commonly found under the coral rocks in the Indo-Pacific region and also around the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The exterior of the shell is smooth and polished because of the covering that the animal has, called a mantle, that wraps around the entire shell.

It gets the name Tiger Cowrie because the outer shell is brown and black spotted similar to a tiger's stripes, but the purple resides in a lower layer. To reach the purple of the shell, they are dipped into an acidic formula.

Some cultures see cowry shells as a symbol of fertility and are often offered to a bride as a gift to ensure fertility. They are colorful shells that work well for making jewelry such as pendants and earrings in native crafts.

They also look great in a clear vase, in an aquarium, or on the coffee table as a conversation piece. Purple tiger cowries are also used in carvings like cameos due to the uniform color under the patterned shell.

The outer shell has been removed from these Purple Cowrie shells. Each shell is approximately 15 mm wide x 19 mm long x 10mm thick with one 1.5mm hole drilled on one end.