Abalone shells have many names: Haliotis Iris, Paua Shells, Nacre, Mother-of-Pearl, Aulon, and Sea ear to name a few. They are also fantastically individual, no two abalone shells are quite the same. It is an organic gemstone, the same category as amber and pearl. Today in South Africa, abalone is still highly sought after, and their shells, which are known to have an especially colorful iridescence, are very valuable. While the North American west coast and South Africa are the two main sources for abalone, they can also be found along the coasts of New Zealand, Australia and Japan.

The name lapis lazuli means ‘blue stone’. It’s more commonly known as just lapis. The original lapis lazuli rock mines are in the West Hindu-Kush Mountains of Afghanistan. The highest quality and quantity of lapis lazuli stone still comes from Afghanistan to this day. The Lapis Lazuli crystal meaning is associated with the third eye chakra, the energy center that processes the essence of your inner spirit. People born during the month of December get to claim the lapis lazuli birthstone as their traditional birthstone.