Mother of pearl is the shiny lining inside certain shells, the same material pearls are made of. It is natural but organic, not a mineral, and it is often dyed. We do not carry it.
Organic (shell lining of mollusks; aragonite and protein)
Mother of Pearl
Nácar
- Palette
- White Multicolor
- Mined in
- Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, China, United States
- Hardness
- Mohs 3.5–4.0 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- Prehistoric
- Named for
- a calque of Latin mater perlarum, 'mother of pearls': the shell layer that holds the pearl
- Also sold as
- nacre, pearl shell
- Intention
- Protection Abundance
- Looking for
- Protection Prosperity Courage
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Mother-of-pearl is commonly dyed, sometimes stabilized, and occasionally coated.
Not in our pieces now
0.5 MICROMETER
Nacre is built from aragonite tablets 10 to 20 micrometers wide and only 0.5 micrometer thick.
5,000 YEARS
A curved shell button from Mohenjo-daro in the Indus Valley has been called the earliest known button, about 5,000 years old.
ANUKUL MUNSI
Anukul Munsi won a gold medal for his mother-of-pearl art at the 1924 British Empire Exhibition.
What it is
The shiny, rainbow-flashing lining inside the shells of certain mollusks, the same material pearls are made of. It is natural but organic, not a mineral, and it is often dyed or bleached to almost any color. The sheen shifts as you turn it.
What gives it its color
The rainbow shimmer comes from thin stacked layers of aragonite in the shell's lining (nacre), each about as thick as the wavelength of visible light; dyed mother-of-pearl can be tinted almost any color.
In history
Shell has been worn as jewelry for more than 100,000 years, and mother-of-pearl, the shell's shimmering lining, was carved into an altarpiece in Augsburg about 1520 and set as tesserae at Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. In the 1900s turban snail shells were widely cut into pearl buttons.
What's said about it
In crystal lore today, mother of pearl is tied to the ocean. People keep it to ward off bad luck, to feel steadier about fears and to invite prosperity.
In one Chinese legend, the immortal He Xiangu owed her long life to a powder of jade and mother-of-pearl. It is soft, so people wear it where it will not get knocked, as an earring or pendant.
How people wear or keep it: As a pendant, as earrings, or in a pocket.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, mother of pearl is paired with the solar plexus and throat chakras, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: as a pendant, as earrings, in a pocket. People reach for it when they want protection, prosperity, courage, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraSolar Plexus, Throat
Also callednacre, pearl shell
Care
- Soft and easily scratched: keep it away from harder stones and rough surfaces.
- Wipe with a soft damp cloth and dry it; keep it out of long water soaks, perfume, and acids.
- Dye can rub or fade, so keep dyed pieces out of strong sun and water.
- Dry nacre can turn brittle, so do not leave it near heaters or in hot cars.
How to tell what you have
- Mother-of-pearl is the shimmering inner shell lining, built from thin layers that shift color as you turn it.
- Plastic imitations exist; look at the drill hole for dye or a flat, even shimmer.
What sets the price
Price follows how strong and even the rainbow shimmer is and bead size and cutting, and whether the shell is natural white-to-cream or has been dyed or bleached for color.
Rules and sourcing
Mother-of-pearl is commonly dyed, sometimes stabilized, and occasionally coated. The FTC jewelry guides call for disclosing that, and for never calling an imitation made to look like pearl 'mother of pearl' without a qualifier.
Questions people ask at our table
What is mother of pearl?
It is nacre, the iridescent lining some mollusks grow inside their shells. Pearls are made of the same material. It is organic, not a mineral.
Is it natural or dyed?
The material is natural, but it can be tinted to almost any color, so bright blue, pink or black pieces are usually dyed. Plain white or cream with a soft rainbow flash is the untinted look.
Why does it change color?
Its layers are about as thin as light waves, so the color shifts with the angle you view it from. That is structure, not pigment.
How do I care for it?
It is soft, around 3.5 to 4 on the Mohs scale. Keep it from water soaks, perfume and harder stones.
Do you carry it?
No. Moonstone has a similar shifting sheen, and our blue and orange coral beads are another sea-made material.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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