Why is the Paua shell sought after by jewelry artists? The Paua (pronounced pah-wah) has in the last few years become very popular as a unique and organic material for making jewelry. Let's first look at what Paua is. The Paua is a species of abalone (Hailotis iris). Abalones are gentle sea snails, with a large central muscular foot and all have amazingly colourful and lustrous shells. There are over one hundred different species of abalone throughout the world's oceans (probably more but we don't know about them) and in the Pacific, the native New Zealand species is called Paua. The Paua is found only around the seas of New Zealand on a small number of beaches in the South Island and they cling to the rocks at depths of 1-10 metres along the shoreline.

So, why are the Paua shells so popular for jewelry making? Paua is the most colorful shell in the world and without doubt the most beautiful of all the abalone shells. It is well known for its lustrous colors with deep shades of purple, blue and green. Although abalone shells are beautiful in their own right and have colour they do have the brilliance of the Paua shell from the South Pacific with their strong blue and purple tones.

As Paua is a naturally occurring marine mollusc, each shell is unique in its iridescent lustre and color tones. Colors tend to change when viewed from different angles. Layers of protein form the darker patterns in the shell and iridescent colors are formed when light is refracted within the crystal layers. This has helped the Paua to become one of the worlds most spectacular shells renowned for its ornamental and jewelry qualities.

So why are the Paua shells more colourful and iridescent that other abalone species? The answer could lie in the native unpolluted flora and fauna of New Zealand. New Zealand is well known throughout the world for its "clean and green" environment. Paua are grazing molluscs and they feed on a variety of seaweeds full of nutrients.

The harvesting of the Paua by locals is managed and controlled by a quota system with strictly enforced regulations controlling both the size and amount taken. More recently Paua has been exported (sometimes illegally) to Asia where it is regarded as a supreme delicacy and can attract a high cost.

In recent years Paua farms have been set up, not only to harvest the shell and flesh but also the Paua Mebe Pearl. These farms collect healthy paua from the rocky coastline, raise them in specially designed pearl barrels suspended beneath the surface, and try to replicate their natural nutrient rich diet. Without the Pearl farms the Paua would eventually end up extinct.

The name "Paua" was given to the mollusc by the indigenous people, the Maori, who used the shell to illuminate the bright eyes of figures in their woodcarvings and artwork. The shell was actually a by-product of catching Paua for its rich dark flesh, which has traditionally been and still is, considered a delicacy by the Maori people.