By Michelle James , West Virginia South Editor ❖ Photos by Jenny Harnish
“ See my earrings ?” Joyce Yeargan asks , tilting her head slightly to the side and cupping a small , dangling bauble . “ They ’ re sea worms . Can you believe it ?” Yeargan ’ s face lights up as she talks about her earrings or points to her wrist where tiny shells dangle from a bracelet . Yeargan ’ s love for the ocean and the creatures that call it home is on display not only in her jewelry , but also on the walls , shelves and windowsills throughout her Beckley home . “ There ’ s a peace and comfort in them ,” she says . “ It ’ s God ’ s wonder .” It ’ s a peace and comfort the 79-year-old retired teacher has been keen to share with others through the years . She ’ s made and given away countless bracelets , pairs of earrings and other items since falling in love with shells . But in 2020 , when Covid-19 made its way across the globe , Yeargan found another way to share that comfort . This time , with those perhaps most in need .
• • • It was while vacationing on Sanibel Island , Fla ., near Fort Meyers , that Yeargan ’ s affinity for seashells was born . “ It was remarkable ,” she says of the number of shells that were washed to the shoreline of what is known as one of the top shelling beaches in the country . “ Wave after wave brought more shells .” Unable to resist , Yeargan found herself joining others in collecting the tiny treasures . “ They call it the ‘ Sanibel Stoop ,’ the people that are bent over looking at what ’ s there on the shore ,” she says with a smile , dropping her shoulders slightly to mimic the movement . In a perfect world , Yeargan would “ shell ” every day , but the 934 miles between her Beckley home and the Sanibel shoreline make that difficult . Instead , she says she opted to bring “ the shoreline home ,” collecting as many shells as possible . And over the next eight visits to Sanibel , she brought home thousands of treasures . “ I told people I would rather leave my clothes down there than my shells ,” she says of space constraints . “ And I meant it .” Back home , Yeargan incorporated her treasures into science lessons for her elementary students , filling cups with clean sand and buried shells . “ They could pour it out on their desktops and hunt for shells like I did ,” she says . “ That was great fun doing something like that and the learning we did along with it , ( about ) the ocean and facts about it .” Yeargan was simply a collector in her early visits to Sanibel ,
but while visiting a shop near the beach , she had an idea . “ I saw hair barrettes that they were decorating with shells and I came home and thought , ‘ Well , I can do that ,’” she says . “ So that ’ s what started it .” After Yeargan mastered barrettes , she began attaching shells to just about everything . “ Different kinds of earrings , all kinds of bracelets , key chains , pendants , visors , headbands , magnets ,” she says ,
34 ❖ SOUTH ❖ JANUARY - FEBRUARY ' 22