Mother of Pearl Jewelry
Where the name comes from: Mother of Pearl is also known as nacre, it lines the shells of some molluscs and is the same material that makes pearls.Where the stones come from: Found worldwide, produced by many different species of freshwater and marine molluscs, though a minority of all mollusc species and mostly in the more ancient families.
Chemistry: Calcium carbonate, CaCO3 - nacre is made of a form known as aragonite, microscopic platelets are laid down at the cellular level, natural nanotechnology.
Colors: A white base colour with iridescence as the platelets are close to the wavelengths of light in thickness.
...and another thing: Nacre is produced by the mollusc as a protective layer to the inside of its shell, the outside is often a drab camouflage color.
