Baby Pāua Earrings Gold

The curves and intricate detail of this iconic New Zealand shell are beautifully captured in this design. Cast from an actual Pāua (Abalone) shell in solid recycled copper with a 9ct Gold Plate. Hooks are solid recycled Sterling Silver with a 9ct Gold Plate.

Note: no cute little baby pāua were harmed in the making of these earrings, they are cast from a mould taken off a shell found on the beach!

Pāua size 14mm (0.55in), Total length 26mm (1.02in)

Also available in recycled Copper or recycled Sterling Silver.

Matching Pendant Necklace also available.

While they’re are known as ‘abalone’ in other countries, larger pāua can mostly be found in the fresh, cold seas of the lower North Island, South Island, Chatham Island and Stewart Island. They are caught by free-diving.

To make pāua babies, the male and female pāua wait until the perfect time (they just know) and then, together, eject millions of eggs or sperm into the water at the same time through those holes you see in their shells. It then mingles, becomes pāua lavae, and some will one day head down to start life as a rock dwelling adult pāua.

New Zealand’s pāua industry is managed by strict quotas, which will only allow a certain amount of them to be harvested each year, with severe penalties for those who break the law. This makes for a sustainable fishery.