Abalone

From CAMEO
Jump to navigation Jump to search
1999.520-SC24373.jpg

Description

The large, shallow shell from an abalone mollusk, genus Haliotis, is a source of mother-of-pearl and blister pearls. Abalone is composed primarily of orverlapping crystals of Aragonite (Calcium carbonate) bound together with Chitin. Its iridescent inner surface has been used for ornamentation, inlays, and costume jewelry.

Synonyms and Related Terms

ear shell; ear-shell; ormeau (Fr.); oreille de mer (Fr.); ormier (Fr.); paua (Maori, New Zealand); abulón (Esp.); perlemoen (South Africa); Seeohr (Deut.); Haliotis (Deut.);

Additional Images


Authority

  • A.Lucas, J.R.Harris, Ancient Egyptian Materials and Industries, Edward Arnold Publishers Ltd., London, 4th edition, 1962
  • A. MacGregor, Bone, Antler, Ivory, and Horn, Croom Helm, London, 1985
  • Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
  • The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

Retrieved from "https://cameo.mfa.org/index.php?title=Abalone&oldid=42366"