Item Description Pictures Bidding History Comments

* Hint: Click on the thumbnails above to see the full sized version. Images are of the actual item unless otherwise indicated.

MOTHER OF PEARL CARVING

This is a stunning carving done by a machine with much detail and a top finish.It is of a mother and son.The pearl [nacre ] shell glistens like opal colour.

Weight 12.1 cts app

size 22 x 15 x 2  mm app

Nacre is made mostly of aragonite--a calcium carbonate crystal--arranged in 500-nanometer-thick layers. It forms from ions in seawater that washes through an organic "scaffold" of thin, interconnected, horizontal sheets--the animal essentially lays the "mortar" before filling in the "bricks." The iridescence of mother-of-pearl comes from the interference of light as it reflects from the thin, crystalline layers. But the beauty is only part of what drew Pupa Gilbert, of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, to study nacre. "Materials scientists have been interested in mother-of-pearl for decades because this material is 3000 times more resistant to fracture than its components," she says, referring to the organic and crystalline constituents.

view extended profile

ONE ITEM Our basic shipping /handling fee is $3.00 per item sent first class airmail. FOUR ITEMS We offer a combine shipping/handling of 4 items from the one site for $9-this is done automatically when you go to paypal. EIGHT ITEMS You must have 5 feed backs and contact us before bidding and we will send you a paypal request with a handling/shipping fee of $15 EIGHT TO 30 ITEMS You must have 10 feedbacks to purchase larger numbers and contact us before bidding.We will send this parcel by courier express with a tracking number for $45 PLEASE NOTE-We have the following sites listed below so if you pay insurance for one site we can send all the orders to gether so only pay insurance once. .At www.opalauctions.com we have the following sites SEDAOPAL-,BOULDER MAGIC-PETERS OPAL-QUALITY OPALS-SEDA ROUGH OPAL,-VOLCANIC OPALS. At www.gemrockauctions.com we have the following sites SEDAGEMS-MINERALGEMWORLD-. Money back guarantee on all stock

No Comments