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Shell Descriptions
Turbo Sarmaticus - Item # 2053303S
Turbo sarmaticus - commonly known as the South African Turban. It is found on the shores of South Africa and the Philippines. This particular species grows to approximately 3 inches. When polished, as this one is, it is a favorite of collectors. Interesting to note is that if you order escargot on an island you are likely to be getting the turban snail. (754BJ03072, 754BJ05072 and 754FM4031)
Donkey Ear Abalone - Item # 2053338
Haliotis asinina - also referred to as Pearl Abalone or Pearl Ab, from the same family as the polished paua shell, this abalone is found abundantly in shallow waters in the South West Pacific. Although the outer layer has a variety of colors, the inner shell where the animal lives is a uniform ivory color with high iridescence. (754BJ02006, 754BJ03006, 754BJ09005, 754EGGC and 754FM4005)
Pecten Palluim Pair - Item # 2053403
Cryptopecten pallium - or the Royal Cloak Scallop. Like a clamshell, the pecten shell is actually two halves called valves. Each side is structured and patterned differently. Many scallops can swim by snapping their valves. The Royal Cloak scallop is quite common, and the animal is edible. From the family Pectinidae, this is a large and poplar grouping of shells highly prized in shell collections both amateur and professional. Like the Green Argy, the pecten is used to great effect in boxes and frames, leaving much of the original texture of the shell to enhance the product. (754BJ03076, 754BJ05076 and 754FM4026)
Black Limpet - Item # 2053438
Cellana testudinaria - more commonly known as the Turtle Limpet. The limpet is a small, cone shaped animal. They are vegetarian and found in great numbers all around the world on rocks. They make a shallow hole in a rock with they're hard shell and acidic secretions. Many varieties wander about the rocks at night but return to their original site at dawn.
Trochus Pearl - Item # 2053704
See Trochous Niloticus above. Here the outer layer of the shell has been removed and polished. This shell is also stunning when used in jewelry and inlaid box designs. (754BJ03080, 754BJ05030 and 754FM4025)
Other Shells Used in Our Products
Brown Pen Shell
Atrina vexillum. It is commonly found along the shores of East Africa to Polynesia. This shell is black and triangular. It can be up to approximately 16 inches long. It is one of the pen shells, which are known for being thin, yet strong and live buried in the sand and muddy bottoms.
Chambered Nautilus
Nautilus pompilius, nautilus are widely recognized shells with a distinctive spiral shape that is an exact mathematical equation. A cross section of the shell displays the various chambers used by the animal. The largest chamber at the front of the shell is where the animal lives, while the chambers behind are used for buoyancy so the nautilus can rise to the surface of the ocean or sink to the bottom. The outer layer of the nautilus is a matte white with tan markings near the inner spiral. When this layer is removed, the nautilus is a striking white with iridescent rainbows of color (754BJ03004). At the center of the nautilus, the shell is a pearlescent blue-gray color ovoid in shape. When used in boxes and jewelry, it is called the osmena pearl. (3029701E, 3029701N, 3029720E. 3029720P, 3029721E and 754BJ12100)
Gold-lip Oyster
Pinctada margaritifera - produces cream to gold-colored South Sea pearls. Gold-lip oysters can be found in the Indo-Pacific waters off shore as much as 30 meters. Used in many inlay applications for it's distinctive range of colors.
Young Pen
Pinna rugosa, from the family Pinnidae, these shells are large, fan-shaped, fragile and translucent. In fact, they are so fragile, they lie buried in mud and sand, anchored by a tuft of fine fibers called byssal threads which are secreted by glands in the foot. Byssal threads were once harvested and woven into fabric so strong and pliable, a woman's scarf could be rolled into a ball the size of a walnut. Sharp edged valves projecting from the outer surface of the shells has earned this shell the name Razor Clam. Younger individuals are found closer to the surface, but all are found in warmer waters. Young pen has a mottled pattern similar to tortoise shell. (302BR40002, 302ER40002, 754BJ04017, 754BP06002, 754FM4017, 754FM8017)
Mother of Pearl
The iridescent substance that forms the lining of the shells of some fresh-water and some salt-water mollusks. Like the pearl it is a secretion of the mantle, composed of alternate layers of calcium carbonate and conchiolin (a protein substance that is the organic basis of mollusk shells). Note the root word, conch, which many find familiarly in seashore locations. Among the chief sources are the pearl oyster, found in warm and tropical seas, chiefly in Asia; the fresh-water pearl mussel, which lives in many rivers of the United States and Europe; and the abalone of California, Japan, and other Pacific regions.
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