Cleaning
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Abalone (Haliotis) Cleaning Abalone can be a skill, some of which can only be learned through practice. What most people don't realize is that they are possibly throwing money down the drain.  Some people may not believe it, but yes it is true! Abalone produce pearls. Abalone pearls come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. The abalone pearl on the right, being around two inches in length, was found by a diver while cleaning. Pearls of this size are typically rare, but don't be discouraged. It can be common to find pearls the size of a small pin head; most divers just pass over these as if they were a piece of shell or sand. Pearls such as this tooth-shaped pearl are found in the sac covering the gonad (3).  Other pearls can be found in the gland(1), stomach(2), the mantle(4) and other lining tissue.
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