Some of the most striking and unusual pearls in the world come from abalone mollusks. Abalone are gastropods, or sea snails. A single ear-shaped shell, lined with lustrous mother-of-pearl, protects the animal’s body. It drags itself across the sea bottom using a tapered, horn-like hook attached to its foot. Under ideal conditions in the wild, abalone specimens can live 30 or 40 years.
There are more than 100 species of abalone. They live mostly in cool ocean waters around the world. Abalone have long been prized for their tender and flavorful meat. They’re farmed in many places, including China, Taiwan, Japan, Chile, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and the US.
Abalone are capable of producing natural pearls of great size and beauty. Because the mollusk has only one shell, some people might not consider them “true” pearls. However, abalone pearls are nacreous, unlike those from other gastropods.
Natural abalone pearls come in whole and blister forms. Whole natural abalone pearls might form around an intruding parasite or result from illness. Blister pearls might form on the inside of the abalone’s shell when parasites drill into it and the abalone covers the intruder with layers of nacre.
Depending on the intrusion’s location, the abalone pushes it away from the shell or against the side, creating a variety of pearl shapes and sizes. For example, horn-shaped (also called “tooth” or “tusk”) pearls result if an intruder invades the reproductive organ called the gonad and the animal coats it with nacre there. This is the most common type of natural abalone pearl.
Natural abalone pearls come in a wide variety of colors. Pinks, greens, and blues are the rarest and most valuable. They also occur in various reds, purples, and whites. They typically have brown or black “seams” that can vary from thin dark lines to thick patches of flaky material.
Natural whole abalone pearls are usually irregularly shaped. Pearls with few blemishes or with perfectly symmetrical shapes are very rare and command the highest prices. An unblemished green wedge-shaped abalone pearl weighing 118.57 cts. was found off the California coast in the 1980s. Its retail value was more than $140,000.
