Chris from Canada has another fantastic idea!
If you live with or know a fishing fanatic, you likely are the lucky (?) recipient of whole, freshly caught fish now and then. Next time you are given one that has to be cleaned, set some scales aside in warm water with a squirt of dish soap. After dinner, rinse a few off and take a good look. Some of them may have a tooth comb edge (i.e. lake perch), and can be trimmed to become a man's comb, some are smooth ovals or seashell shaped and after smoothing the edges with an emery board become 1:12 dipping dishes or bowls in smaller scales.
Depending on the species and where the scales grew on the body, they may have some markings or colours and a pearly lustre. The thinner, flatter scales closest to the belly area can be used to replicate seashell ceiling-light shades.
If you are making fish stock from the head and any trimmings, keep an eye out for the jaws when you strain the stock as when dried out, they make a very convincing toothy smile for mini monsters. Or, if one of your offspring lists "BlueTooth" for one of their gadgets on their Christmas Wish List, do as I did and dye a dried fish jaw blue with food colouring and embed it in a moulded resin pendant. I had bought her the real thing for her car (after I had figured out
what it was she wanted), but gave her the beautifully wrapped BlueTeeth first just to see her reaction.
