Mother Of Pearl
Since time immemorial, pearls have basked in the limelight as it takes precedence as one of the world’s highly preferred jewelry item. One of the popular organic gems, it can be derived from the shells of the mollusks such as oysters and mussels, created through the secretion of the special blend of minerals safely deposited inside the shell to effectively ward off parasites and other foreign objects. However, apart from the wonderful luster of the pearls, another highly coveted natural wonders of the underworld is the mother of pearl, which is basically a nacre - a natural occurring organic composite that is a wonderful combination of organic substances and crystalline that provides a magnificent iridescent lining on the shells.
About ninety-five percent of the nacre is composed if calcium carbonate platelets, which is basically a brittle component. However, the combination of the platelets and the elastic biopolymers inside the shell interestingly results to a highly resilient and strong material. According to experts, this is mainly due to the special brickwork adhesion arrangement of the platelets that effectively inhibits the propagation of transverse crack. Still, natural mother of pearls are quite rare since this is actually created more of by simple chance, and in the real underwater scenario, one has to diligently search among thousands of oysters to find a single mother of pearl – the inside part of the shell that houses the pearls, and should not be confused with the pearl itself which is of course far more valuable.
If we will trace back history, it was the Ottoman Turks who initially developed the use of the mother of pearl shell in the 15th century and became closely intertwined with the Turkish Islamic culture and art. In fact, Koran cases, chests and writing desks and even window shutters and pulpits were primarily made of mother of pearl materials during that time. Even the interior decorations and architecture of the ancient mosques and palaces can be seen with some touches of mother of pearl that were expertly incorporated.
However, it can be a little tricky in choosing to work with mother of pearl in any art form mainly because it requires a certain thickness that can easily withstand manipulation. It is also important to choose shells that can best reflect the very colors of the rainbow in order to create a more visually stimulating piece of décor or jewelry item. Among the highly favored type of mother pearl are the white ones since it is widely known to have a better reflective property than all other types. In the ancient times, some auxiliary materials are used along with the shells, most especially in creating striking jewelry pieces such as a mother of pearl necklace. Ivory, wood and bones seems to be the favorite as seen in the gathered evidences of human civilization.
Aside from white, the other types of mother of pearls include the iridescent one with charming play of pink and green colors, the variegated or the multicolored variety and the mat, which has a rather dull and .low reflective property in comparison to all other shells. With all the types available in the market today, one can easily end up in utter confusion as to what particular type is of premium quality. The general thickness and reflective property are among the important factors to consider when buying any decorative or jewelry piece. While this material may not be as expensive as the pearls itself, mother of pearls are truly wonderful pieces to incorporate in your residential décor or an addition to your existing jewelry collection. The possibilities are quite endless, and you are only limited by your own imagination and creativity. So stake a step forward, and create a whole new trend with stunning mother of pearl pieces.