Shell, Abalone, Side Drilled, 50 or 100 Gram Lot, Assorted Shapes & Sizes

Abalone, Shell, Side Drilled, Assorted Shapes & Sizes     

This image is of a similar assortment of 100 grams of Abalone.        

50 gram lots will be 50% less pieces.     

Millimeter sizes mentioned are a suggested range, not a guarantee. 

Abalone is a mollusk and part of a family that includes clams, mussels, sea slugs and octopuses. The abalone shell is thickened with layers of nacre (mother-of-pearl) - iridescent layers of plates of a mineral called aragonite. Abalone lives along the coastal waters of almost every major continent and there are more than 130 types of abalone shell.

Abalone shell beads are called “sea opal beads” for their stunning, iridescent colors like the beautiful "flash" of precious opals. It can also have a dichroic appearance. Abalone beads are a gorgeous, iridescent rainbow of electric blues, greens, grays, and pinks on all sides.

There is no difference from Paua shell and Abalone. Most of the world calls it Abalone, but New Zealand and Australia call it Paua. Abalone is derived from the Spanish word "Abulón" and paua from the New Zealand Maori word "paua."

Side Drilled, or Side to Side, is where the hole to hang the pendant is drilled on the sides. 

This way the hole is not visible on the front of the stone and the pendant can easily be hung on any beading wire. In most cases, Side Drilled is a little thicker than other pendants.

 This is a natural shell that has had no treatment other than cutting, drilling, and polishing.