What is 'mother of pearl'? Is it a real pearl?

Pearl and mother of pearl are both made of the same material - the iridescent mix of minerals secreted by an oyster or mussel - although they are two separate things. Mother of pearl, also known as nacre, is the organic composite secreted by the pearl mollusk that accumulates on its inner shell. Pearls are the same secretion accumulated around a tiny irritant, so they accumulate in concentric circles and take on a spherical shape. So while pearls are round, mother of pearl tends to have a flat shape. When used in jewelry, mother of pearl is carved into different shapes to be set into the precious metals. Both pearl and mother of pearl jewelry fall into the category termed Organic Jewelry.

• 13
• 13

Mother of pearl isn't a real pearl, but it is made of pretty much the same ingredients - a mollusk's shiny secretions that harden into an iridescent gemstones. Pearl jewelry and mother of pearl jewelry tend to look quite different from each other because pearls are round and pearl jewelry is designed with the pearl's natural shape in mind. Mother of pearl, on the other hand, is flat, and changing its shape doesn't affect its value. So it is generally cut into different shapes to be set into pieces of fine jewerly. It also run in a wider range colors aside from pure white, and often iridesces with tones of green and bluish.

• 11
• 10

Mother of pearl is in fact not real pearl, it is the lining of the oyster shell surrounding the pearl. Many brides prefer wearing mother of pearl jewelry instead of actual pearl jewelry since pearls are meant to symbolize tears (some brides think that pearls bring bad luck when worn during the marriage ceremony). Mother of pearl is similar to pearl in appearance and is very visually pleasing. It has a high luster and a shimmering appearance. In addition, since the material is not actual pearl, mother of pearl jewelry is most often less-expensive than real pearl jewelry.

• 12
• 11