Priced from $300 to $20,000, the pieces are rolling landscapes of 18-karat gold intertwined with black niobium or iridescent shells and set with gemstones.

Over 6,000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians produced glittering cosmetics from the iridescent shells of beetles as well as finely ground green malachite crystal.

It revealed a couple of toes, which moved very slowly inside their iridescent shell.

Scarabs lay about everywhere, as did the iridescent shells of Siamese beetles nearly five inches long.

The iridescent shell is thin and contains a conspicuous umbilicus.

Its sexual organs and orifices had closed away beneath its iridescent shell, to keep hold of all that had been spent.

The mussels were New Zealand green lip: big, soft and in a beautiful iridescent shell.

It's very pretty to look at, with a brilliant iridescent shell of golden green.

An abalone, for example, can take simple calcium carbonate, the stuff of chalk, and weave an iridescent yet tough shell.

The predominantly blue-green iridescent shell of abalone (or paua; genus Haliotis) is one last possible imitation.