The shell of the species Cypraea moneta ('money cowrie'), which is found in the Indian Ocean, was used as currency in parts of Africa and Southern Asia. Cowrie shells were and still are used in many places as jewellery and as applied decoration on clothing, headdresses and so forth.
Source: Shorter Oxford English Dictionary: 'Cowry'
TRC online catalogue (retrieved 18 April 2017).
GVE