What is mother of pearl?
Mother of pearl is the iridescent substance that forms the
lining of the shells of some fresh-water and some salt-water
mollusks. Like the pearl it is a secretion made by the animal's
mantle and made up of of alternate layers of calcium carbonate and
conchiolin. It is light reacting with this layering which gives
mother of pearl its sheen.
Among the chief sources or mother of pearl are the pearl oyster,
found in warm and tropical seas but the substance can also form in
the shells of fresh water mollusks.
Mother-of-pearl is the nacreous iridescent lining of a mollusk's
shell. It is composed of calcium carbonate and aragonite aligned in
hexagonical platelets. Mother-of-pearl is also known as nacre.
Mother-of-pearl is used for jewelry, buttons, tiles, the production
of faux pearls, and calcium (pearl) supplements.