In Stardew Valley, Rainbow Shells are a nice-looking and semi-useful item to find. However, there are so many materials, items, recipe ingredients, and other things to keep straight that memorizing them all is a big chore. One of the rare materials that is easy to forget the details about from this life sim game is the 
Rainbow Shell.
If you need something to give as a gift, to decorate a fish tank, or to make a bikini top, you might be trying to figure out where you can get one of these colorful shells. This guide will cover where to get them, how to use them, and what they sell for in Stardew Valley.
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Updated April 25, 2025 by Mina Smith: Since the original publishing of this article, there have been several updates to Stardew Valley. ConcernedApe has added more times of the year to get Rainbow Shells and even changed how villagers feel about them as gifts. In order to make sure all the information in this article is accurate, we've added information on all the changes that the 1.5 and 1.6 updates have brought to this item.
What is a Stardew Valley Rainbow Shell used for?
The Rainbow Shell is a blueish purple-colored shell that can be used as a gift for some Stardew Valley villagers, and, while not used for any bundles or recipes, it has several other uses in the game.
With it, players can make a dyeable bikini top or a dye of any color using a Sewing Machine; Emily has a Sewing Machine available at her home for players to use after they first attain cloth. Players can also get one of their own for completing the Rock Rejuvenation quest that works just like Emily's, but on their own property.
When gifting, Rainbow Shells are liked by every villager except Elliott, who's neutral to them, and Harvey, who hates them.
Rainbow Shells are also used in the Mysterious Qi quest and a Fish Pond request. Players are required to forage one Rainbow Shell for the Mysterious Qi, and the Rainbow Shell is one of the possible requested items to expand the capacity of a Blobfish pond from 7 fish to 10.
Rainbow Shells can also be sold to make money in Stardew Valley. Regular Rainbow Shells sell for 300g; silver-tiered sell for 375g; gold level sell for 450g, and iridium level for 600g. They can also be used to decorate Fish Tanks!
How to Get a Rainbow Shell in Stardew Valley
Players can find Rainbow Shells through several different methods:
- Foraging them from the Beach in the Summer
- Picking them up from the Beach Farm any time of year
- Purchasing them from the Traveling Cart
- In the Mines, once the Shrine of Challenge is activated
- Pet turtles with maximum friendship can gift them.
- In the Mines during the Danger in the Deep quest
- As a gift from Demetrius in the mail
- As a gift from Jas, Leo, or Vincent during the Feast of the Winter Star
- From a Fish Pond; Having a Rainbow Trout fish pond has a 2% chance of spawning a Rainbow Shell every day once the pond has 9 fish in it.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- February 26, 2016
- ESRB
- E for Everyone (Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco)
- Developer(s)
- ConcernedApe
- Publisher(s)
- ConcernedApe
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- Stardew Valley does not currently support crossplay between different consoles and PC
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Simulation
