Absolutely Amazing Abalone!
Published On: 08-16-2012 12:46pm
Comments: 14 - Hits: 990
The iridescent colors of abalone have always fascinated me. As a kid, I had a whole abalone shell; the inside was shimmery silver/white and the outside was ablaze with glorious blues, greens, purples and pinks. I could sit for hours turning that shell back and forth, mesmerized by how the colors would shift and change depending on how the light hit the shell. Since I just created a pair of handmade earrings using natural Paua shell (a type of abalone), I decided to find out more about this amazing creature and share it with you, along with several beautiful creations from ArtFire artists using abalone in their jewelry designs.
Natural Paua shell from New Zealand. Photo courtesy of Nature's Wild Kingdom.
Abalones are interesting sea creatures related to clams, octopuses and squid. They have long been prized for their colorful shells and their edible meat. Since abalone are more flattened than other snail shells, they are sometimes called "sea ears" due to their shape reminding people of human ears. The flattened, spiral shell protects the large muscular foot (that is often eaten as a delicacy). Lining the edge of the shell is a row of holes which serve several functions. The holes allow: water to pass out of the shell after going through the animal's gills; metabolic waste to be discharged; and, the release of eggs (10,000 - 11 million eggs at a time!) or sperm. The majority of abalone species are found in the cold waters of New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Japan and western North America.
Tagging abalone in California. Photo by Debra Hamilton, California Department of Fish and Game
The color of abalone shell can vary greatly from species to species and also depends on the food they are eating. Most commonly, the iridescent nacre that lines the inside of the shell is silvery white, but pinks, red, purple and greens can also form. The outer part of the abalone shell is almost always colorful once the shell is cleaned up. The most sought after abalone is the glorious Haliotis iris, more commonly called Paua shell and found only off the coast of New Zealand, with its deep blues, purple and greens.
Watch bracelet with Paua shell by SeaBreezeJewels.
Abalones are not known for moving too far or too fast, mainly clinging to rocks, an abalone will wait for food to drift by. Their diet mainly consists of seaweed, kelp and algae although the juveniles will feed on diatoms and bacterial films. When a tasty morsel floats by, the abalone captures the food by clamping down on it with its muscular foot. It then starts eating the bit of food with it radula, a rough tongue that has numerous small teeth! Abalones usually grow to a size of 6-12 inches.
Abalone shell and Viking knit bracelet by Tina and Tammy of EntwinedVines.
Because of its incredible natural beauty, my favorite type of abalone is the Paua (Haliotis iris) found off the coast of New Zealand. Because of its beauty, it is nicknamed "Sea Opal". To the native peoples of New Zealand, the Maori, Paua is consideredtaonga (treasure), since it is important as kaimoana (seafood) and as a important resource for traditional and contemporary arts and crafts. Often referred to as Te Koha a Tangaroa (The Gift of the God of the Sea) by the Maori, their legend says that Paua was specially gifted to them by their god of the sea, Tangaroa, and held the energy of the sea. Paua are often used to represent the eyes in Maori carvings, believed to be whetu, the symbolic eyes of ancestors that gaze down from the night sky as stars. The reddish colored shells were prized for depicting the flashing red eyes of the warrior. Today, Paua shell is a distinctive feature of jewelry from New Zealand.
Paua shell and sterling silver heart pendant by Jeff of StoneNest.
Metaphysically, abalone is associated with healing, serenity, calmness, nobility, honesty and creativity. Abalone is said to be especially useful for calming the emotions in stressful situations. It is widely believed that Paua can help align the chakras, being particularly connected to the heart chakra.
Abalone, amazonite and opalite earrings by Elizabeth of Foret.
In the last 20 years, abalone populations in many places of the world have dramatically declined; some species are threatened or on the brink of extinction. Because abalone meat can bring high prices, illegal harvesting is the main cause of the decline. The loss of habitat due to coastal development and the resulting pollution has also ruined large areas of abalone habitat. Fortunately, however, many abalone species have finally begun to be managed in a sustainable manner, and many of the species are making a slow recovery.
Here are a few more jewelry creations using abalone:
Abalone Kahiko pendant with bronze by Laura of HeartinHawaii.
Paua shell, Thai Hill Tribes fish pendant and mixed gemstone necklace by LibertyOriginals.
Rustic abalone pendant with copper by Dawn of JewelryArtbyDawn.
Paua shell, faceted pearls and rainbow obsidian wire wrapped necklace by Margaret of bohowirewrapped
Natural Paua shell and Swarovski crystal earrings by Catherine of ShadwDogDesigns.
I hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about abalone - and now you can see why I called this blog post "Absolutely Amazing Abalone". Please leave a comment if you would like (:
My contact information:
Artfire studio: ShadowDogDesigns
Zibbet shop: Shadow Dog Designs
Supadupa shop: Shadow Dog Designs
Blog: ShadowDogDesigns' Blog
Facebook: Shadow Dog Designs - Jewelry
Twitter: ShadowDogDesign
Flickr: Shadow Dog Designs' Photostream
Pinterest: Shadow Dog Designs
Wanelo: ShadowDog
RebelMouse: ShadowDogDesigns
Reader's Comments
By ShadowDogDesigns on 08/20/2012 @ 10:45am
Am so glad you stopped by, Mary, and that you learned a lot about these amazing creatures. I could have written LOTS more but had to stop somewhere (: Thanks! Peace and joy . . . Catherine By ShadowDogDesigns on 08/20/2012 @ 10:44am
My pleasure, StoneNest! Thank you for stopping by and commenting! Peace and joy . . . CatherineBy Guest on 08/20/2012 @ 09:46am
I have always loved the abalone shells for their wonderful colors. Your designs are wonderful, and thank you for the wonderful description of the abalone. Nancy
By PrettyGonzo on 08/20/2012 @ 09:31am
I've always thought abalone shells were so beautiful. Fantastic article - I learned so much! Thanks for sharing all this great information - and such marvelous examples! :)
By StoneNest on 08/19/2012 @ 11:47am
Exceptionally well presented, Catherine. This was a joy to read. Thanks so much for including my necklace! By ShadowDogDesigns on 08/17/2012 @ 01:56pm
My pleasure, SeaBreezeJewels. Am glad you enjoyed the post! Peace and joy . . . Catherine By ShadowDogDesigns on 08/17/2012 @ 01:55pm
Thank you, Margaret, for stopping by and commenting! I read about the hemophilia(!) of abalones and was going to include that as some interesting information, along with the statistics for an abalone pearl developing. Somehow it did not make it into my post. Thinking I might have to go back in and add it. Definitely fascinating info - at least to a geek like me (: Thanks again! Peace and joy . . . Catherine By ShadowDogDesigns on 08/17/2012 @ 01:52pm
My pleasure, Dawn! An glad you enjoyed learning some new things about abalone (: Thanks for your wonderful comment! Peace and joy . . . Catherine By ShadowDogDesigns on 08/17/2012 @ 01:51pm
Thank you, LibertyOriginals, for stopping by and commenting! I agree about abalones - such humble looking creatures to be able to produce something so brilliantly gorgeous! Peace and joy . . . Catherine
By Seabreezejewels on 08/16/2012 @ 07:20pm
Wonderful blog! I loved learning about abalone, thank you so much!
By bohowirewrapped on 08/16/2012 @ 07:13pm
What a fascinating blog, I learned a lot here. One more interesting note about abalone is that the entire genera has hemophilia as a genetic condition. Abalone do make pearls, just as oysters do, and when they make them they are incredible, but it cannot be forced upon them, it must happen naturally because they will bleed out and die very, very quickly. Abalone pearls are exquisite and exquisitely rare, too.
By JewelryArtByDawn on 08/16/2012 @ 06:36pm
Great blog post, Catherine! I, too, have always been amazed and mesmerized at the color and flash found in abalone. Enjoyed learning more about this wonderful material. Thank you for including my abalone pendant amongst the stunning items you featured!
By LibertyOriginals on 08/16/2012 @ 06:35pm
The abalone is truly an amazing creature. The colors, the swirls, the glow, of these Paua shell designs are just beautiful. |
By ShadowDogDesigns on 08/20/2012 @ 10:47am
Thank you, Nancy, for your wonderful comment! Mother Nature is so amazing in her colorful designs (: Peace and joy . . . Catherine