The sea beckons...we come to search for shells along the shore, and discover a myriad of shapes and colors. A fisherman draws in his net and finds treasures for his children. A family in a distant land gathers mollusks for their daily meal. Harvesters gather their shells, destined for a chef in Manhattan and also for an artistic wonder...seashell decor.
What once adorned the sands of the sea can now incite you, your clients and guests with beauty and wonder. Agape Tile offers the rarest shell choices...seamless glimmering seamless shell sheeting for insertion into cupboard and entertainment center doors or for total wall, floor or ceiling coverage with no grout joints to inhibit the wonder of the material...shell tiles and listellos to set into wood, stone or agglomerate floors, backsplashes or furniture...mosaics to wrap around columns and curved surfaces...tabletops and countertops of seamless iridescent beauty...and sinks that resemble the sea itself, a freeform creation with shell as the defining layer.
Customize your environment with shell flooring that sparkles or shower walls that radiate a warm glow. Colors change as you cross the room...and cause a sparkle similar to the rainbow effect of opal.
Agape Tile offers more choices that anyone in the marketplace. Our shells are available in fourteen species, nine standard patterns and custom patterns...with the option of a crackle finish on all shells with the exception of Capiz. This gives you virtually unlimited choices, not to mention color combinations! No other company offers seamless mesh, tile, mosaics, slabs, medallions, tabletops, countertops, baseboards or inserts that may be customized in every way: shape, thickness, color, edge profile, material combinations or backings of porcelain, mesh, honeycomb aluminum or fiberglass.
Durability? Clad your walls for a lifetime. Art and Design? Our fine artists have the ability to create a custom mural or design fit for a royalty. Decor? Custom mirrors, shell clad furniture and door frames covered in shell. Dare to create. Entire floor coverage designs are possible featuring custom artwork with undulating streams of shell set into gemstone, marble or an agglomerate...it is all possible!
Mactan, Dia and Gerona Ventures, is our Philippine ally in beauty. Mactan shell products are premium quality. Only the finest materials are used. Mactan's artisans perfectly cut and shape each piece by hand.
All shell products are hand-crafted in the Philippines. This is an environmentally friendly process. Products are created from discarded shells originally havested as a food source or from shell farms. These shells are indigenous to the area and are not among an endangered species.
To view finished installations please visit the Projects section of our site.
Agape Tile has been serving homeowners, architects, decorators, builders and contractors for over twenty years. If you can envision it, we can create it! Dealers welcome.
SHELL HISTORY
Throughout history shells were primarily a food source. Ancient civilizations also used them for primitive adornment. Shells were chosen for shape and color with mollusk shells chosen for their iridescent qualities. After the 18th century, shell divers of Japan harvested pearls and other shells that were used for decoration. People today continue to eat shellfish and use the recycled shells in jewelry, as inlays for wood and furniture, for surfacing and for decorative building materials.
Nacre, also known as mother of pearl, is an organic and inorganic composite material produced by some molluscks as an inner shell layer. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. Nacre is found in some bivalves (clams, oysters, mussels), gastropods (snails and mulluscks) and cephalopods (the chambered nautilus). The inner-shell layer in most mollusks is merely porcellaneous and non-nacreous, resulting in a non-iridescent shine. Many of these non-iridescent shells are, nevertheless, very beautiful with soft or bright colors, natural striations and bands of color.
Pearls and the inside layer of the pearl oyster shell and the freshwater pearl mussel shell is made of nacre. Many other families of mollusks also have an inner shell layer which is nacreous, including gastropods such as the Abalone, Paua, Troca and Turbin Shells.
Shell colors vary from slight pastels to bold dark shades. Shells are always rendered polished. Polishing brings out the depth of the colors and protects the surface.
Note: We do not sell Nautilus shell materials. This is an ancient species from the dawn of time. Having survived relatively unchanged for millions of years, the chambered nautilus is considered to be living fossil. The nautilus also has a distinct personality and a memory. We feel that it is a crime to harm an animal such as this. Continued harvesting of this shell will eventually result in it being placed on the endangered species list.
|
