Mother of pearl, also called nacre, (the same stuff of pearls, just a different shape) has for a long time been seen as beautiful. As you may have read, (if you're a loyal follower of my internet travels, and researches) mother of pearl was used in brooches a good deal in Victorian Jewelry. It was used in pique work as well. (Pique work is basically an inlay of precious metals into another substance).
So where did the Victorians get their gorgeous iridescent argonite and elastic bipolymers which constitute nacre? Australia of course! From oysters in Northwestern Australia, to be more specific, mainly for inlay material and buttons.
For a neat article on mother of pearl buttons click on the title link! You'll find some neat stuff about American history (including Ronald Regan).
Friday, March 21, 2008
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2 comments:
I heart mother of pearl. Thanks for posting this article. This is one of my favorite blogs!
where did victorians get their argonite and elastic bipolymers, hah hah, that's great!
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