Zebra Mussel Stud Earrings

Adorn yourself with these tiny freshwater mollusks as a reminder of our collective responsibility to preserve and protect our treasured waterways. This collection was thoughtfully designed and handcrafted in the hopes of invoking a sense of wonder for the natural world and at the same time sparking conversations about invasive species and other pressing ecological topics. Learn more about the zebra mussel below.  sterling silver, solid 14K gold available upon request  handmade in the USA The ubiquitous zebra mussel is not native to the St. Lawrence River. The diminutive mollusk stowed away in ship ballasts, hitching a ride to North America all the way from the Caspian Sea in the mid-1980s. With few natural predators, zebra mussel colonies flourished and tiny crustacean clusters rapidly dominated the coastline of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.  Zebra mussels are filter feeders, cleansing water and reducing contaminants and algae, resulting in noticeably clearer waterways