Paua Shell And Resin Silhouette Brooch

A beautifully crafted brooch made from paua shell, sand and fine silver flakes to create a wonderful elegant lady in hat silhouette brooch. The whole scene is then positioned in a wire frame and encapsulated in resin.

48mm x 31mm

Only on close inspection can you truely see the full uniquness of this brooch. Would make a lovely thoughtful gift.

This incredibly beautiful shell comes from the coastal waters of New Zealand and surprisingly belongs to a sea snail. In its watery home the snail wouldn’t even rate a second glance but when its protective lime outer layer is removed an amazing array of blue, green and purple shimmering shades are revealed. The Maoris have always treasured the Paua not only for its fantastic shell that it used as inlay in carvings but also for its tasty meat. Because of this fishing is now strictly controlled and although shells may be picked from the beach, divers can only use snorkels and even then there is a limit to the amount that can be taken to prevent over fishing.