What is this?

M

MamaCeleste

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Joined
Apr 11, 2026
Messages
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Hi everybody. I bought this at a second hand shop. The guy told me it was abalone, but it looks more like a black lipped mother of pearl to me. I would love opinions on what it may be... 🤷‍♀️
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There are green abalones but I haven't seen that color. The texture of the surface also isn't ridged like the green abalone pendants I've seen (images only, not in person.)
It could be a Tahitian mabe pearl (mother of pearl, inside of shell).

Or perhaps an osmeña "pearl"-- the polished inner shell of a nautilus, which can look different colors when the filling material is dyed. However all the images of osmeña "pearls" I've seen are white or bluish, not that brownish color, and not a pointed shape.

What does the back of the pendant look like?

For comparison here are photos of my Tahitian mabe pendant; the backing is mother of pearl. (That is the traditional way to back a mabe pearl.)

mabe Tahitian pendant front.jpeg
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It just occurred to me to link this excellent series of articles on mabe and blister pearls:

CortezPearls

Thread 'I. Introduction to Blister and Mabe Pearls - Ultimate Guide'

I. Introduction​
  • Blister pearls -and Mabe pearls, their modern equivalent- have been coveted, enjoyed, and worn for Centuries. But these products are not equivalent to actual pearls. Most pearl farmers consider Mabe pearls (also known as “Half-Pearls”) as a side-product, used to supplement their yearly income.
  • These pearls can be considered as “Pearls-on-a-Shell”, since they will be attached to the mollusk’s inner shell, either as an accident (as in the case of natural blister pearls) or induced (as in cultured Mabe pearls). Due to their origin -always being...
 
I think it looks like mother of pearl -- but I'd also like to know what the back looks like. The vibrant colors have me wondering if it's a doublet?
 
This is polished black lipped (Pinctada margaritifera), for comparison... lots of pinks and greens
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It is double-sided in the same material.
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Here are pictures of both sides in different light. It seems like it fades in from a black background, then has all different rainbow colors, but no ridging pattern that I can see.
 
I think it is abalone -- abalone shells have vibrant colors on both sides. The lighter side of the pendant could have been a mabe pearl that formed on the inside of the shell, and they cut it out and polished both before the bezel setting.
Whatever it is, it's pretty and I hope you enjoy it!
 
Are you able to take some more photos, in different light perhaps? If you can wear something neutral and avoid reflecting anything colorful that might help too. (My front door is red and anything I photograph near it catches red reflections-- that, and the green of the grass in our front yard!)
 
This is standing next to my door,off to the side. It is just reflecting light. The rainbow colors are in it. It has a black edge around the outside that fades into the colors. At first I thought it was rainbow moonstone, but there are very slight variations in the surface that make it seem organic.
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It definitely gives "shell". When I first picked it up I assumed it was some sort of mother of pearl, and pink is the dominant color reflected. I have never seen one with black, blue, yellow, purple before. It seems "softer" in its colors and sheen than abalone. It's really hard to get a good picture of it.
 
MamaCeleste said:
It definitely gives "shell". When I first picked it up I assumed it was some sort of mother of pearl, and pink is the dominant color reflected. I have never seen one with black, blue, yellow, purple before. It seems "softer" in its colors and sheen than abalone. It's really hard to get a good picture of it.
Click to expand...
There are different species of abalone (seven just in California), some with softer colors. I have an abalone bracelet from Mexico with soft creams and browns and pinks.
 
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