What an interesting picture. I've never seen one of these. Don't think they form in Australia, or do they? Would make stunning jewelery.

Hi MargBaldy I've only seen them beige. You're right what an interesting sand dollar. Looks as if it comes from North Carolina, US. Pretty isn't it.

Probably been painted! I've seen gilded ones on shops.

Anyway you can find sand dollars all over the Oregon coast.

Just Beautiful, amazing colours.

Sand dollars are like sea urchins, move around on little feet, and in the same family or genus. There legend of the sand dollar is related to Christ - with the 5 holes for the stab wounds and within the sand dollar are five little shells or five doves. Part of my miss-spent youth on Sanibel Island, west coast of Fl.

I have come across Sand Dollars in PNG during our years there and I suspect they are also found in the tropical parts of Australia. The problem with collecting them is the 'shell' is fairly fragile and needs to be handled carefully. The term 'shell' is not strictly correct because it is the More...

I've found them in Sydney and various other places. They're usually very white.

Yes, sand dollars are pristene white once they dry out. They're not usually used as jewelry since the size is a bit large for that, about 3" to 4" dia., but we often see them duplicated on a smaller size in fine gold or silver jewelry. This is a painting that I did, taking some artistic More...

We have lots of them on the west coast of Canada and you're right Ian they are fragile

Kay, this is your painting? Wow, very nice! Mother of Pearl on a sand dollar, that is unique. Can anybody tell me anything about sea biscuits -- they look something like sand dollars except they are fat. All Google has given me is info on the race horse. Phooey!

Thank you, Judy. This is one of my earliest paintings and has remained a favorite. I submitted three or four of them so another may show up somewhere, sometime. As for sea biscuits, I've seen them but I don't know much about them, or either I've forgotten what I knew.

Thank you Kay. I have never heard of sand dollars before. (I live 400kms from the coast so that maybe why I don't know about them.) Your painting on it is beautiful.

When I was a kid we looked for sand dollars, usually had to go past the first sand bar. They were brown and 'furry' assume still alive, but then when we took them home, they were bleached out and became white.