| Pearl, just like diamonds, has been a symbol of | | | | Today, we see pearl and mother of pearl not |
| elegance for women. Mother of pearl, on the | | | | only in women's jewelry but also in men's jewelry. |
| other hand, has also brought class and style in | | | | There are men's watches which are actually |
| different jewelry, art crafts and architectural | | | | made of mother of pearl. Moreover, there are |
| pieces. | | | | also pearl cufflinks and mother of pearl cufflinks, |
| We have been seeing pearls and mother of pearl | | | | which give the same kind of elegance as other |
| everywhere - from ladies' earrings, to necklaces, | | | | kinds of cufflinks which are made in silver and |
| to watches, to dinnerware, to furniture - but what | | | | gold. |
| really is the difference of the two? They may | | | | Each pair of pear or mother of pearl cufflinks has |
| have come from the same organic, living source, | | | | its own reflective properties, making each cufflink |
| but how do we differentiate one from the other? | | | | a unique work of art. For one, they are not like |
| Pearls are formed in oysters through the | | | | other substances like silver or gold which can |
| accumulation of substance called nacre, which is, in | | | | have the same properties when manufactured in |
| fact, the mother of pearl, and is the material lining | | | | volume. It is for this reason that every pair of |
| the oyster shell. Pearls are formed around a solid | | | | pearl and mother of pearl cufflinks have its own |
| piece of foreign object that has become lodged | | | | stories to tell. Just like other naturally occurring |
| inside the oyster shell. | | | | substances, mother of pearl develops irregularities |
| A pearl is made of layers of crystalline forms of | | | | as it forms. Thus, every piece of mother of pearl |
| calcium carbonate held together by an organic | | | | jewelry - be it earrings or cufflinks - is slightly |
| substance known as conchiolin. Its composition is | | | | different. Such irregularities may also appear in |
| identical to that of the nacre, which forms the | | | | cheaper jewelry which is not as carefully crafted. |
| interior layer of the mollusk or oyster shell. | | | | Whether a man prefers the rounded pearl |
| As mentioned, mother of pearl (or nacre), is a | | | | cufflinks or cufflinks with an inlay of mother of |
| material that forms the shell lining of most | | | | pearl, what is important is that because nature |
| mollusks. Some sources of mother of pearl which | | | | has a great way of making each natural |
| are used as an inlay in jewelry and furniture are | | | | substance unique, it makes it more possible to |
| abalone and oysters. MOP comes in different | | | | cater to every man's unique personality. Consider |
| natural colors and is processed (dyed) for | | | | it as nature's way of meeting the demands of the |
| decorative purposes. | | | | pearl fashion market. |