MOTHER OF PEARL
MOTHER OF PEARL BY ILI
Mother of pearl, also scientifically known as nacre, is a pearl layer on the inner layer of oyster shell, cut into small shapes and sizes then glued on the desired substrate such as polyester sheet, netting, ceramic ,wood……etc or directly on the home décor piece.
Shell veneers are generaly supplied in 0.5 or 0.6mm thickness but other thicknesses are also possible.
Veneer sheet sizes are normally 200x200mm and 300x300mm as standard. Other sizes are also available by order. Extremely large dimensions are not doable or at least not recommended for easy breakage.
Mosaic Tile sizes : Custom sizes with limitations due to the product nature.
Capiz Tile sizes: Custom sizes with limitations due to the product nature.
Mother of Pearl Shells Origin
Salt water mother of pearl shells come from oceans and sweet water MOP shells come from river beds. The reason natural pearls are so much more expensive than mother of pearl shell is that all oysters have nacre coat on the inner lining of shells but rarely shells form natural pearls which is essentially a reaction that oysters have to foreign objects existing in the shell, like a sand grain.
Production of MOP
production of mother of pearl products is skilled labor intensive. Every single piece of mother of pearl must be worked with by hand. Every single piece of MOP irrespective of its size must line up and be extremely straight and in the correct position before it’s glued on substrates.
Characteristics of Mother Of Pearl
· 100% Natural material
· Natural variations are predominant .
· Unbendable.
· For a higher-end look in mother of pearl, cover in acrylic
· Extremely Durable
· Extremely Tough
· Highly resistance to scratches.
