Mother of Pearl

An interesting thing happened on the beach yesterday... 

I am visiting with family in Canada and my brother in law asked me to explain mother of pearl to him. What a coincidence with the launching of our new mother of pearl earrings, the Abby Earrings! Sometimes I forget how much I take for granted mother of pearl and its true concept as the mother of pearls!

Mother of pearl is the shiny nacre lining the inside of a mollusk shell. It is this same material, excreted by the mollusk to form its shell, that creates actual pearls. It shares the beauty and iridescence of pearls but on a non-spherical surface! This makes for some very interesting and popular uses! Imagine that many of the pearling regions in the world once became popular for the harvesting of mother of pearl, not for pearls! This material is beautiful and durable. It is used in decorative pieces, tool and ceremonial events.

When I first visited pearl farms in China, I fell in love with mother of pearl. In China they are very aware of re-using all elements from the pearl harvesting process. Mother of pearl is used in cosmetics, dietary supplements and, of course, decorative inlay. I loved the raw mother of pearl and blister pearls so much that I hired some women to carve these unique pieces from the interior of the mollusk shell. Many pearl gils have fallen in love with these unique Mother's Love  pendants and enhancers.

A few years later, while traveling in China, I fell in loved with the daintier carved mother of pearl accents for jewelry. I recently had some made exclusively for our upcoming designs such as our Abby Earrings!

These pieces appear to be white, almost like milk glass and yet they offer layers color and iridescence too!

We are seeing a resurgence of mother of pearl in frames, silverware, tabletops and mirrors. It is a gorgeous way to enjoy the beauty and iridescence of pearls in practical, everyday items!