New Yorkers are fishing for mussels in a jewelry store to DIY their own custom pearl accessories
NY Post
If you want pearl jewelry from this Soho shop, you’re going to have to use some mussel.
At Pearl & the Beast, shoppers can go fishing for mussels and shuck them open themselves for shiny pearls to make their own necklaces, rings and more.
And you don’t have to shell out much for your DIY pearl accessories: one fresh catch of the day is $70 to $80 per mussel.
Krystal Chen, the 23-year-old Brooklynite and founder, told The Post it’s “the first and only mussel shop in the US,” and business is booming at the spe-shell 22 Howard St. shop.
“On weekends we sell around 100 mussels a day and weekdays, 20 mussels a day,” Chen said.
Pearl-seeking patrons can scoop out their chosen large mussel from the rectangular fish tanks inside the store. The row of tanks is filled with different types of mussels labeled by the pearls inside — baroque, weirdo, Edison and classic — based on the pearl’s size, shape, color and luster.