shellwork

American  

[shel-wurk] / ˈʃɛlˌwɜrk /

noun

1. decorative work composed of seashells.

   an elaborate picture frame decorated with shellwork.

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Etymology

Origin of shellwork

First recorded in 1605–15; shell + work

Example Sentences

Art was not somthing that could be depended on, though all right for a hobby, like shellwork or wood carving.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

They have belts of shellwork slung across their shoulders, and are armed with bows and arrows, and flint-headed spears.

From Grandfather's Chair by Hawthorne, Nathaniel

In two private court-yards we were shown gaily decorated fountains, in alcoves or niches, curiously and elaborately ornamented with mosaic and shellwork, the shells being in perfect preservation.

From The American Quarterly Review No. XVIII, June 1831 (Vol 9) by Various

That had been only a few days ago, and Ray had shown the quilt, so rich and lustrous, and delicate with beautiful shellwork stitchery,—to the young girls this afternoon.

From The Other Girls by Whitney, A. D. T. (Adeline Dutton Train)

These remarkable creations are so utterly tasteless, with masses of bristling shellwork and crude, ungainly statues, that we wondered how anything so inartistic could find a home upon Italian soil.

From In Château Land by Wharton, Anne Hollingsworth