RARE Red Abalone Shell 4mm Rondel Beads, (8 inch Strands)
The Red abalone currently holds the title as the biggest abalone there is in the whole world. These abalones can be found in places such as Canada, Mexico and California. However, a lot of them are mainly in California. They are considered as big because their shells can reach up to 31 cm. Moreover, they are very thick and also tough. They are shaped like a dome and naturally red. Other than that, there are small holes on the shells at the amount of three or four. These holes help them to breathe.
Abalone: You may have heard of abalone before and it is sometimes mistaken for a stone. However, the abalone that looks and functions as a gemstone is not crystalline, it is actually the shell of a marine snail, or more specifically it refers to the various species of small to very large marine gastropod mollusks.
The inside of the shell is very thick, and in many of the species it appears as an attractive scintillating opalescent layer, known as nacre. It is highly iridescent and is widely used for decorative purposes as mother-of-pearl.
