Nanoshells (NS) and nanoparticles (NP) are tunable plasmonic particles that can be precisely engineered for specific applications including surface enhanced spectroscopies. A new, general method for the synthesis of core-shell and solid nanoparticles has been developed and is presented. Based on the CO reduction of Au3+, this new process yields the highest quality gold nanoshells synthesized to date. The constraints on precursor lifetime have been relaxed and post-synthesis purification has been eliminated. Nonresonant surface enhanced Raman optical activity (SEROA) has been investigated using biomolecular analytes deposited on Au nanoshell or nanoparticle substrates. The first, and currently the only, near-infrared (780 nm) excited scattered circular polarization Raman optical activity spectrometer (NIROAS) has been constructed. Surface enhanced Raman optical activity spectroscopy has been validated by the collection of symmetrical, surface enhanced, signed circular polarization intensity difference spectra from several test molecules including, (S)- and (R)-tryptophan, and (SS)- and (RR)-phenylalanine-cysteine.