Dear Charles and others,

Agoya or more correctly Akoya is Japanese for pearl. The Japanese Pearl
mussel Akoya gai or Pinctada fucata martensii (Dunker, 1882) provides the
raw material from which Agoya (Akoya) buttons are being manufactured. It is
also used for inlays on knife handles, guitars, etc., and for the production
of ornamental pendants.

Best regards,

Henk K. Mienis

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----- Original Message -----
From: "CHARLES F STURM" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, November 08, 2002 7:06 PM
Subject: Agoya shell?


> Folks,
>   I was lokking into the topic of shell buttons and noticed that some were
> made from "Agoya shell".  I have been unable to identify what this shell
> is or what group it comes from. Any idea?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Regards,
> Charlie
>
****************************************************************************
**
> Charlie Sturm, Jr
> Research Associate - Section of Mollusks
>                      Carnegie Museum of Natural History
>                      Pittsburgh, PA, USA
>
> Assistant Professor - Family Medicine
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
>