Paua is the species of abalone shell (haliotis iris) found only in the cold waters of southern New Zealand. The coloring varies from shell to shell and has an amazing iridescence. The lighting in the photo above does not do justice to the array of colors found in these beads. Paua beads are made from cut and tumbled paua shell. The government of New Zealand strictly controls the harvesting of abalone for food. The shells are a natural by-product.

We are now stocking the medium size beads shown above. There are 25 - 27 beads per strand. The strands are about 10 1/2" long (27 cm) and the beads are at least 3/4" in length (1.9 cm). The average cost is US$1.17 per bead.