Italian Silver Sea Urchin

A pink and white dome of tiny beads, lifted up like a parasol.

This sea urchin is contemporary, from Italy, mounted in plated nickel, glass and sterling silver. The shells of sea urchins, called tests, have been prized by collectors for centuries for their radial patterns and delicate surfaces. This one is a pale dome dotted with rows of small pink and white knobs, arranged in neat bands from crown to rim. A pointed silver finial sits at the top, and the shell is balanced on a slender polished rod rising from a stepped black base. It is 8.75 inches high and 4.5 in diameter.

It has never looked so composed underwater.