Carefully hand-inlayed alternating shades of pen shell strips
Pen shells have a thin but highly iridescent inner layer. They are harvested mainly for their meat. Instead of discarding the shells, we encourage their collection and cleaning for inlay. The shells are inlaid and left unsealed so that their natural pearlescence is unspoiled. We enhance the beauty of the shells by various methods; selecting for colour, cutting in different shapes, cracking and cutting.