Question for the knife makers

[Merc]

I've got the opportunity to bring some abalone shells which is mother of pearl in June back to Texas. Could that be used for making a knife handle?

Or would anyone be interested in making me a few knives in trade? I won't have any numbers until I go home.

Merc

[Jason Fry]

I've not worked down abalone from raw shells, but I have worked down freshwater mussel shells into inlay material. It's a lot of work. I'd be a little surprised if it worked out where you'd get high quality material.