Sunrise Shells are shells from a type of scallop native to the Hawaiian Islands. The scallop that produces the shell lives in the deep waters around the islands. The sunrise shells are very sacred to the ancient Hawaiian people. They are extremely rare and for those lucky enough to come across one on the beach, they typically are found at sunrise (hence their name). The taxonomic description of a sunrise shell is: bivalvia (class): pectinidae-scallop (family): decatopecten noduliferum (scientific name): Langford’s pecten (common name): sunrise shell (popular name).