In Europe finding a sea heart has always been an exciting event that has evoked interest and speculation. Once called Stones by the Vikings, Seahearts were used as a purgative, cattle medicine and given as a pain reliever for women during childbirth. Some believed the seaheart originated from plants growing under the ocean, while others touted the seaheart as proof of uncharted passages leading to exotic lands.

The Sea Heart gained a "Lucky" reputation among fishermen, medicine men, explorers, and storytellers too! A symbolic messenger or a crude navigational tool, it is said that Sea Hearts washed ashore in the Azores, provided inspiration to Christopher Columbus to set sail to The West in search of their origin. In fact, The Islanders of Porto Santos, Azores, still call the Sea Heart seeds, Favas de Columb or Columbus' beans.

In Europe fine shops displayed beautifully polished Sea Hearts that were embellished with gems and silver and crafted into fashionable lockets and boxes for snuff and match sticks.

Children traveling by boat to America would receive a SeaHeart amulet to hold and comfort them during their long and uncertain voyage. The children were told that if the Sea Heart could survive the perils of the Atlantic, if they carried one, they too would be assured a safe voyage.