Mother of Pearl

Mother of Pearl is a popular material used in jewelry, buttons etc. In larger pieces it's often used as in inlay in anything from watch faces, jewelry boxes and photo frames to large pieces of furniture. It is, as the name suggests, closely related to the pearl.

What Is Mother of Pearl?

Mother of pearl is another name for nacre. This is a substance secreted by certain molluscs and is most commonly known as the shiny coating on pearls. It's a part organic, part inorganic compound.

Mother of pearl provides the shine and lustre of pearls in larger, flatter pieces that make it particularly useful for certain purposes such as decorative inlay work.

A pearl is actually a special case of nacre production. Molluscs secrete nacre normally to produce a protective coating inside their shell. This lining is then harvested to create mother of pearl.

Colours

Mother of pearl is formed naturally in a variety of colours, although the most well known is a creamy white. You can also buy naturally black mother of pearl which is more common in marquetry and furniture inlays than jewelry.

The basic white variety of nacre is also sometimes dyed other colours to form material of almost any desired hue.

Uses

Mother of pearl is frequently associated with items such as brooches and buttons. Other common uses include jewelry such as rings and necklaces as well as accessories such as watches and hand mirrors. Pieces are also used an inlays on musical instruments. Larger shards can be found on tiles, chests and even tables.