CAPIZ SHELLS AND HAND CRAFTED CAPIZ SHELL ITEMS

Placuna placenta common name Capiz Shell & windowpane oyster

Placuna placenta is a bivalve marine mollusk in the family of Placunidae. They are edible, but valued more for their shells (and the rather small pearls). The shells have been used for thousands of years as a glass substitute because of their durability and translucence. More recently, they have been used in the manufacture of decorative items such as chandeliers and lampshades; in this use, the shell is known as capiz shell (kapis). Capiz shells are also used as raw materials for glue, chalk and varnish.

(REF: "Placuna placenta (Linnaeus, 1758)". www.gbif.org.) (REF: "Fisheries and aquaculture of window-pane shells". Malacological Society of London)

Placuna placenta shells are found from the shallows of the Gulf of Aden to around the Philippines, where they abundant in the eponymous province of Capiz. The mollusks are found in muddy or sandy shores, in bays, coves and lagoons to a depth of about 330 feet.

These species have been in decline because of destructive methods of fishing and gathering such as trawling, dredging, blast fishing and surface-supplied diving. In the Philippines, fisheries are now regulated through permits, quotas, size limits and protected habitats. In spite of this, resources continue to be depleted.

(REF: Park, Monica. "Capiz Shells and Their Uses"

The nearly flat shells of the capiz can grow up to 6 inches in diameter, they reach maturity between 3 and 4 inches. The shell is secured by a V-shaped ligament. Males and females are distinguished by the color of the gonads. Fertilization is external and larvae are free-swimming like plankton for 14 days or attached to surfaces via byssal thread during metamorphosis, eventually settling on the bottom. They consume plankton filtered from the water passing through their slightly opened shell; the shell closes if the bivalve is above water during low tide.

A byssus is a bundle of filaments secreted by many species of bivalve mollusc that function to attach the mollusc to a solid surface. Species from several families of clams have a byssus, including pen shells (Pinnidae), true mussels (Mytilidae), and Dreissenidae.

(REF: Fisheries and aquaculture of window-pane shells". Malacological Society of London)

Aside from being abundant in the province of Capiz, capiz shells are also abundant in the island of Samal in the Philippines, where 500 tons of capiz shells are harvested every other year.

The capiz shells are found around the island, harvested and transformed into various decorative products. As late as 2005, the residents of the island were trained to sustain the industry. However, the transfer of institutional knowledge to new generations to maintain the industry is in danger of being lost.

(REF: Gonzaga, Robert (31 May 2012). "After Jessica Sanchez, Samal's capiz products now in limelight")

Scientific classification

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Bivalvia

Order: Pectinida

Family: Placunidae

Genus: Placuna

Species: P. placenta

Binomial name: Placuna placenta

Linnaeus, 1758

Capiz Round No Hole 1/12/13

CAPIZ SHELL ROUNDS WITH NO HOLE

M1-12

One 1 inch Capiz Shell Round with no hole..... .13

M5-12

One 1 1/2 inch Capiz Round with No Hole..... .14


M2-12

One 2 inch Capiz Round With No Hole...... .16

M4-12

One 2 1/2 Inch Capiz Round With No Hole..... .26

M3-12

One 3 Inch Capiz Round With No Hole....... .29

Capice Round One Hole  1/12/13

CAPIZ ONE HOLE

S1-34

One 2 1/2 inch Capiz Round With One Hole...... .17

Capiz Round Two Hole  1/12/13

CAPIZ ROUND TWO HOLE

O1-34

One 2 1/2 Inch Capiz Round With Two Holes..... .24

Capiz Square No Hole  8/4/2013

CAPIZ SQUARE NO HOLE

L1-34

One 2 x 2 Inch Capiz Square With No Hole..... .17

Capiz Square One Hole 8/4/2013

CAPIZ SQUARE ONE HOLE

M1-34

One 2 x 2 Inch Capiz Square With One Hole..... .17

Capiz Square Two Hole 1/12/13

ONE CAPIZ SQUARE TWO HOLE

J1-34

One 2 x 2 Inch Capiz Square With Two Holes..... .17

Capiz Diamond One Hole 1/12/13

CAPIZ DIAMOND ONE HOLE

I1-34

One 2 x 2 Inch Capiz Diamond With One Hole...... .17

Capiz Diamond Two Holes  8/4/2013

CAPIZ DIAMOND TWO HOLES

H1-34

One 2 x 2 Inch Capiz Diamond With Two Holes...... .17

Capiz Clam Dish  8/4/2013

CAPIZ CLAM DISH

Capiz items are not washable, but they can be wiped with a damp towel.

GC1-90

One 8 1/2 Inch Capiz Clam Dish.....OUT OF STOCK

GC2-90

One 10 1/2 Inch Capiz Clam Dish.....OUT OF STOCK

GC3-90

One 12 1/2 Inch Capiz Clam Dish..... $15.95

GC4-90

One 16 1/2 Inch Capiz Clam Dish...... $21

Three Piece Capiz Gold Trim Oval EE1-90  1/12/13

THREE PIECE CAPIZ GOLD TRIM OVALS

These are not washable but can be wiped with a damp towel.

EE1-90

Three Piece Capiz Gold Trim Oval, graduated size, largest size 11 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches (picture provides good example of size differential)..... $8.95

3 PC Capiz Rectangle W1-90

Three Piece Capiz Rectangle

Capiz items are not washable but they can be wiped with a damp stowel.

W1-90

Three Piece Capiz Rectangle dish set 12 x 8 inch, graduated size (picture provides good example of size differential).... $6.95

3 PC Capiz Rectangle Basket MM1-90 8/4/13

Three Piece Capiz Rectangle Basket Set graduated size

Not washable but can be wiped with a damp towel.

MM1-90

Three Piece Capiz Rectangle Basket Set 10 x 6 inch, graduated size (picture provides good example of size differential)........ $12.75

3 PC Capiz Oval Basket NN1-90  8/4/13

Three Piece Capiz Oval Baskets Set graduated size

Not washable but can be wiped with a damp towel.

NN1-90

Three Piece Capiz Oval Basket set 10 x 5 inch, graduated size (picture provides good example of size differential)...... $12.75



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