c. AD 1200 – 1300: The bead-making industry at the Governors Beach site was remarkably productive, yielding over 1,500 complete beads and 4,400 blanks made from the brilliant scarlet shells of the…

c. AD 1200 – 1300: The bead-making industry at the Governors Beach site was remarkably productive, yielding over 1,500 complete beads and 4,400 blanks made from the brilliant scarlet shells of the Chama siphons. Craftsmen utilized a sophisticated toolkit including Lobatus gigas nippers for shaping, manufactured concrete platforms for polishing, and imported chert for high-precision drill bits. Unlike the Lobatus periostracum which fades quickly, the Chama shells retained their intense color for centuries, making them highly prized prestige items. The scale of production suggests that these beads were intended for widespread trade across the Caribbean to reinforce social status and lineage ties.