Crafted with a bronze core and surrounded with reflective stainless steel, Massimo Mercurio’s Shell symbolizes prosperity rooted in harmony. The sculpture’s overall form, with its top and bottom halves, mirrors the Chinese philosophical concept of yin and yang, which exemplifies a balance between opposing elements. In business, these elements manifest themselves in various ways, such as risks and opportunities or traditional and modern decision-making practices.

The yin and yang halves of Shell surround a core of bronze, which epitomizes the ideas of maturity, strength, stability, and—perhaps most importantly—prosperity. This core lends strength and reinforces the sculpture’s overall form, indicating that any enterprise must have a core that is both stable and robust.

For its outermost layer, Shell is covered by a coating of stainless steel, whose reflective surface calls back to the symbolism of mirrors, which were regarded as sacred objects having magical powers in the ancient East, further representing truth, discovery, courage, and empowerment.