Mabe pearls, in spite of the name, are not true pearls but are a shell product made from mother-of-pearl.  Their half-round shape comes from the way it is grown pressed onto the inside of the oyster shell, not inside the soft part of the oyster.

A semi-round particle is grafted onto the inside of the oyster shell.  After the nucleus particle has been left to become coated with many layers of nacre over about 6 months time, it is then removed from the shell and the nucleus or particle is extracted. Some epoxy filling is put into the center and is covered with a layer of polished mother-of –pearl.

Mabe pearls come in several colors such as cream, black, white, gray, peacock and blue. These are well addapted to use in rings and earrings, and used as inlays and other things that call for the unique workability of this material.