Pāua is the Māori name given to three species of marine gastropod molluscs. They are known in the United States and Australia as abalone, and in the United Kingdom as ormer shells.

Maori legend suggests that Pāua is a gift from Tangaroa, the God of the Sea. They regard Pāua as a Taonga (treasure) as a source of food and as a beautiful shell used in their carving to illuminate eyes and adorn other artwork.

We believe that Pāua is highly underrated as material and we have a selection here of some spectacular jewelry made with this beautiful shell.