The Uses of Mother of Pearls

Mother of Pearls is an extremely common type of mineral. While these minerals are extremely beautiful and depending on their quality valuable, they are considered organic minerals because they are created by living organisms.

Mother of pearls are made from mollusks, specifically oysters and abalones. These mollusks secrete calcium carbonate which is silky to the touch and extremely beautiful. Calcium carbonate is generally a hard mineral and will stand up to daily use. While most people are familiar with pearls, mother of Pearls are the same type of mineral except not in a pearl form.

Mother of Pearls are used for a variety of applications. While they can be used as ornamental jewelry, many times Mother of Pearls are used for industrial applications such as home products including tile flooring and materials that are added to fine instruments.

Tiles are created from Mother of Pearls and are typically called Tessa Rae. These are small tiles that can be put together with grout for many home applications. Another way to use Mother of Pearl tiling is for it to be attached to large sheets of fiber glass and then applied easily in a kitchen or home.

Mother of Pearls are also used as the lining of a sink and give it a beautiful luxurious luster. Mother of Pearl is white, but usually can be found with beautiful iridescent colors. The reason for this iridescence is that because the structure of Mother of Pearl is very small and very similar to the size of light wave lengths.

Mother of Pearl - The History and Origins

The Mother of Pearl is not a gemstone per se, but organic mineral that is created by living organisms. While most people are aware of pearls, the Mother of pearl is made from the same substance – calcium carbonate.

Mollusks such as oysters and abalones create the mother of pearl by secreting special substances that consist of calcium carbonate. The scientific formula is CACO3. This secretion is extremely fine, less than a millimeter thick and it is created into a structure of platelets that kind of resemble bricks.

The Mother of Pearl has a very smooth and silky texture and is extremely appealing to the touch. It is used many times for jewelry, tiles (as a home product) and as a substance used to coat objects such as fine instruments.

Mother of Pearl can be white with iridescent colors and these colors are due to the fact that the platelets are about the same size as light waves. Mother of Pearl has been known to man for thousands of years and can be found in many regions, especially in Europe, Asia, the United States and Australia. It is said to have many magical and mystical qualities such as helping a person to be cleansed, to help a person have faith and to be pure.

The white color of the Mother of Pearl can make one feel very peaceful and less stressful and calm. Besides mystical qualities, the Mother of pearl is a popular home product for tiled floors. Usually the Mother of Pearl is attached to a fiberglass mesh and created into tiles for flooring or even countertops.