Mother of Pearl (MoP) is an attractive material which as used as a decorative item inlaid over furnitures, jewellery, musical instruments and much more. The iridescent nature of MoP makes it attractive and makes it’s a valuable substitute for marble and tile inlays.
By property, iridescence refers to the attribute of changing its color as viewed from different angles and orientations. The same property may also be found with soap bubbles, butterflies and sea shells.
MoP’s iridescent value adds to its beauty as well as market price. This is because not all forms of Shells available have this property which makes MoP (or nacre) more special.
The existence of MoP is towards the inner wall of the shell oyster or over the outer layer of the pearl. Sometimes nacre acts as a protective shield that carries the pearl within it but does not have any physical contact with it.
The main function of MoP is to protect the pearls from the attack of any parasites and it stays active as for as the mollusc is alive.
The separation of the MoP from shells is a cheaper process as they are available in plenty, but its price may vary from one and another depending on the shine of the layer.
The inlay of MoP may involve removal of the selected mortise in the wooden layer and then inlaying the MoP onto the wooden surface. A layer of glue is applies on top of this to seal it. The same procedure is followed in enhancing Mop inlay work over all surfaces to make it look decorative.
Mother of pearl is sometimes used to make spoon-like utensils for caviar (salted roe of large fish), so as to not spoil its taste with metallic spoons.
MoP is also used as a decorative layer over wine glasses, serving trays, bowls and so on to make it look decorative.
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