They look like what you'd get if God rolled the ocean into a gleaming little gem. The half-dome shaped jewels -- swirls of creamy pinks, greens, blues and sometimes even golds -- are prized for their ...

While the shiny material of pearls and abalone shells has long been prized for its iridescence and aesthetic value in jewelry and decorations, scientists admire mother-of-pearl for other physical ...

Mother-of-pearl looks dainty hanging from a necklace, but this iridescent innard of abalone shells is so tough it can withstand the weight of a truck. Also called nacre, the material has long puzzled ...

Highly valued for its edible muscular foot and mother-of-pearl shell, the pinto abalone has declined significantly in recent decades and faces extinction unless it'ss protected — and soon — under the ...

Apparently, engineering researchers at the University of California, San Diego do. They are using the shell of the red abalone, a seaweed eating snail, as a guide for developing bullet-stopping armor.