Polished shell in various forms (very rare) from Tahiti.

Polished shell in various forms (very rare) from Tahiti.

Giant Crab on iron base in Vietnam

Giant Crab on iron base in Vietnam

Tray made of Mother of Pearl and white metal

Top quality Mother of Pearl from the Philippines with hand inlaid in a beautiful tray.
Availability: In stock
SKU
6351
Tray made of Mother of Pearl and white metal is available to buy in increments of 1

Mother of pearl is part of the shell of the mollusc. The material is used in many cultures to use objects or works of art. Almost all of the shells comprise a number of superimposed layers, each with its own function, and of which the pearlescent layer is one of them. The thickness of the different layers varies per week group of animals. In most groups, the pearly layer one of the thinner layers the shell exists in some the low (almost) absent, there are also groups where the shell consists mainly of the nacre layer. The pearlescent layer is always located on the inside of the shell, where it is (as well as the rest of the shell) are secreted by epithelial cells of the mantle tissue of the animal. Apart from the provision of strength the primary function is to smooth the inside of the shell. A second function is to defend the animals against parasites and harmful waste. When the animal is attacked by a parasite, or if it is irritated by an external object that can not eject the animal, then proposes a process is in operation in which the object is included in successive layers of mother of pearl. This process can continue without interruption until the shellfish late life. Usually found such an object between the animal and the shell. In those cases, the shell on the spot will only exhibit a thickening: the object is included in the shell itself. Less often the object is not on this site and will develop a completely loose pearl. Pearlescent is made up of hexagonal platelets aragonite (calcium carbonate (CaCO3)), which are 10 to 20 microns wide and 0.5 microns thick. They are placed in a parallel continuous, thin layer. The layers are separated from each other by sheets of organic matrices which are composed of elastic biopolymers, such as chitin, lustrine and silk-like proteins. This mix makes it strong and resilient material, which is also due to the adhesion caused by the "masonry structure" of the images. This ever recurring pattern greatly increases the hardness, which almost can match silicon. The iridescent appearance of mother of pearl is due to the fact that the plates of the aragonite thickness is about 0.5 microns, which is comparable to the wavelength of visible light. This results in constructive and destructive interference of light at different wavelengths, so that the various colors of the light to be reflected at different angles which examines the mother of pearl.

 
Mother of pearl

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Dimensions 280mm
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