mother-of-pearl

mother-of-pearl

a hard iridescent substance, mostly calcium carbonate, that forms the inner layer of the shells of certain molluscs, such as the oyster. It is used to make buttons, inlay furniture, etc.

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

mother-of-pearl

[′məth·ər əv ′pərl]

(invertebrate zoology)

The pearly iridescent internal layer of the shell of various pearl-bearing bivalve mollusks.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Mother-of-Pearl

 

(also nacre), the internal layer of the shell of bivalve and gastropod mollusks; it is attached to the mantle, from which it is secreted. Mother-of-pearl consists of thin plates of aragonite (a variety of calcium carbonate) that are distributed parallel to the surface of the shell. It is distinguished by an iridescent sheen, which results from the interference of the light reflected by its surface. Mother-of-pearl is used for making ornaments, buttons, and other items.

Mother-of-pearl of saltwater origin is obtained from the shells of gastropods of the genera Turbo, Trochus, and Haliotis, as well as from the shells of bivalves of the genera Pteria and Mytilus. These mollusks inhabit the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the waters off Australia and the Philippines. Mother-of-pearl of freshwater origin is obtained from the shells of bivalves of the family Unionidae. In the USSR, mother-of-pearl is obtained principally in the Bashkir ASSR, the Tatar ASSR, Moscow and Voronezh oblasts, the Ukrainian SSR, the Northern Caucasus, and the Far East. Pearls are a special variety of mother-of-pearl.

A. V. IVANOV

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.