Black Lip Pearl Oyster Shell

The black lip pearl oyster (Pinctada margaritifera) is prized for its large, lustrous pearls and beautiful shell, which has a dark, iridescent edge. Found in tropical and subtropical waters, it lives attached to reefs or rocky seabeds, filtering plankton from the water for food.

This species has long been valued by coastal communities for both its meat and mother-of-pearl shell, and it remains an important part of the pearling industry in northern Australia and the Indo-Pacific.