198 Sharks: The Animal Answer Guidethe 1940s, when hides were divided into “nurse shark hides” and “other
sharks.” The more desirable Nurse Shark hides were worth about 25%
more than the others. For ages, dried shark skin, called “shagreen,” was
used as a high-quality sandpaper, at least until the glues and papers of mod-
ern sandpaper were invented. Aleut Indians (Eskimos) use dried shark skin
for making boots. The handles of Japanese samurai swords were sometimes
wrapped in shark leather to make them less slippery; the denticles in the
shark skin provided a better grip if the handle became blood-covered.
Shark and ray leather wallets, belts, coin purses, and other items are
available through many catalogue and Internet sites. Stingray leather wal-
lets often include the region of the barb highlighted in a different color,
adding to the novelty value of the article.Is there such a thing as shark jewelry?
Just about every curio shop in the world, but especially those located
near a beach, seems to sell shark teeth jewelry. Often it’s just a tooth with a
string or leather thong attached, although sometimes the base of the tooth
is wrapped in wire. If it’s a recent and not a fossilized tooth, it may have a
hole drilled in it (fossilized teeth are actually rocks and are much harder to
drill). Shark tooth jewelry is also sold on numerous Internet sites. Histori-
cally, fossil shark teeth were worn as amulets or carried in pouches to ward
off evil and to detoxify poisons (see “Did early philosophers and naturalists
mention sharks in their writings?” in chapter 11).
Occasionally stingray barbs are made into jewelry. We’ve seen large
barbs fashioned into letter openers, set in a leather handle, or even set in a
handle fashioned from hawksbill turtle shell. Sawfish saws with all the teeth
attached are still a sought-after object in the curio trade, with large, intact
saws bringing over $1,200. Such trade is now illegal because of protection
in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered
Species (CITES), although thousands are still sold for use in Chinese tra-
ditional medicine. eBay supposedly discontinued listing sawfish saws as of
2006, but they still appear there from time to time. In any case, tooth or
barb, the object is still sharp and should be treated as such.Part of the anti–shark finning campaign promoted by http://www.stopsharkfinning.net. Several hard-hitting videos on the
subject can be found by searching for “shark finning” on Google videos or YouTube. Image from http://www.stopsharkfinning.net
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