SHELL VENEER PLY (LAMINATED) SHEETS

SHELL VENEER PLY SHEETS ("ABALAM") :

U.S. patents 5,776,581, 6,190,491 and 6,432,506

SPARKLE M.O.P. (VP-SPKMOP): Not a laminate. White glittery M.O.P. flakes densely packed in epoxy, best in strips/small parts, and limited use in larger inlays (dragon skin, snow, clouds, backgrounds, etc.).

WHITE M.O.P. (VP-MOP): White, with obvious joints but made with very large pieces in 5-6 rows. Intended for very small parts or strips, or very large parts, where Agoya or Donkey would be too colorful or lack enough contrast. Best if under a finish.

GOLD M.O.P. (VP-GOLD): Rich, buttery gold with some variations in shade, with obvious joints. Best used in very small or very large inlays, or strips; looks best under a finish.

BROWN M.O.P. (VP-BROWN): Made from Wing shell. Rich leathery, pinkish-brown with blue, green, gold, and pink iridescence. Obvious joints, so best for small or large inlays under a finish.

BLACK M.O.P. (VP-BLACK): Black to smokey or brownish gray, with green or pink color flash. Joints show, and looks best under a finish.

CAPIZ (VP-CAPIZ): Softly pearlescent, slightly opaque and silvery with finely wrinkled figure; made from overlapped to 2" discs of whole shell. Fragile, flakey, not recommended for most inlay, but best for covering large areas or architectural uses.

AGOYA (VP-AGOYA): Pale straw yellow, with whitish blotchiness, irregular patchwork texture, but has no joints showing. Good iridescence, best when finished due to spotty buffing on exposed glue.

DONKEY EAR ABALONE (VP-DONK): Made from small fan-shaped sections of whole shell, which results in a very uniform, spun-metal type of pattern without straight-line joints. Pale pinkish with plenty of colorful flash. Best under a finish.

GREEN SEA SNAIL (VP-SNAIL): Pale and creamy with no black lines, color similar to Green ab. rippled, but with very strong green/pink/violet flash. Made from large curved pieces forming lengthwise "S" on the sheet.

TURBO, SINGLE ARC (VP-TURX1): A "pale" colored shell with no black lines, but has amazingly colorful pink all the way to blue iridescent flashiness! Curved pieces are arranged lengthwise in concentric arcs across the entire sheet to form half a "bull's-eye" target pattern. Call us for ideas on using it!

TURBO, TRIPLE ARC (VP-TURX3): As above, but pieces are arranged to make three columns of nested arcs across the width of the sheet. Very expensive due to tiny shell size small snail and handwork.

KOREAN AWABI RIM (VP-AWRIM): Same incredible colors as the TURBO, but half the cost!! Curved pieces of this little abalone shell's rim create diamond-quilted pattern with no straight-line joints. Limited availability, and cost could go up.

KOREAN AWABI RIBBON (VP-AWRIB): Colors as above, but sheet is composed of narrow vertical rows of highly figured rippley/bumpy-looking shell which mostly obscures the straight-line joints, and gives a darker and busier look than in the rim material. Limited.

JAPANESE AWABI ABALONE (VP-AWABI): Much like Green abalone rippled but with a larger ripple pattern and has more iridescence; no dark spots or lines, but it does show joints.

RED ABALONE (VP-RED): Totally pale, very few or no black lines, pastel pinks and greens; large wavy or bumpy figure with fine, silky texture. Shows joints and looks best under a finish. Limited availability.

RED ABALONE HEART (VP-REDHRT): 100% heart! Deep and dusky reds with some greens, tight pimpley figure that doesn't show many joints. From central muscle scar area of shell. Limited availability!

PINK ABALONE (VP-PINK): Very similar to Green standard, but often with more color, and figure is more bumpy/blistery instead of rippled. Tends to pinks, joints not too obvious. Cheap-a great buy!

PINK ABALONE SELECT (VP-PNKSEL): Dark pinks and pale silvery blues, very similar to Green abalone and select but much cheaper! Joints not obvious.

PINK ABALONE HEART (VP-PNKHRT): 100% heart! Very similar to the much more expensive Green abalone heart, but instead of greens and blues colors are deep pinks to pastel silvery blues and grays.

GREEN ABALONE STANDARD (VP-GSTAN): Lightest colors, lots of washboard ripple figure, with black lines and patchy darker areas. Shows joints, so best for smaller parts.

GREEN ABALONE SELECT (VP-GSEL): Darker colors, lots of pastel pinks and reds, occasionally greens/blues (but not as much as in past years, due to scarcity of larger shells). Joints less obvious but still visible in larger parts.

GREEN ABALONE RIPPLED (VP-GRIPP): Totally pale, no black lines or dark spots, very select and intense "washboard" or "fiddleback" figure. Shows joints.

GREEN ABALONE HEART (VP-GHRT): 100% heart! Very dark and rich, lots of black lines, but deep green, red, and blue colors with a wavy, crumpled figure. Joints invisible. Limited availability.

PAUA ABALONE (VP-PAUA): The most colorful pearly shell in the world! Strong blues, greens, pinks; many sheets are heavily hot pinks. Joints are less visible, very good for larger inlays.

PAUA ABALONE RIM (VP-PRIM): Great value, with good strong colors, although not as much blues as with regular Paua, so expect more greens and hot pinks and reds. Made from nested arcs of curved rim pieces, so no straight-line joints.

PAUA ABALONE HEART (VP-PAUHRT): Unique material from center of shell, finely textured and velvety/opalescent, medium to darker blues and violets. Dark, but softer looking. Joints very indistinct.

SPARKLE ABALONE (VP-SPKAB): Glittery mix of Paua and Green abalone flakes densely-packed in epoxy. Intended for small inlays and strips, snakeskin, etc. In strips, has a close resemblance to Red abalone heart but at much less cost!

 

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