Among the chief sources are the pearl oyster, found in warm and tropical seas, chiefly in Asia; the fresh-water pearl mussel, which lives in many rivers of the United States and Europe; and the abalone of California, Japan, and other Pacific regions.

Mother of Pearl is just like any other material in that it has advantages and disadvantages - it will not shrink, expand, bend, or move. Despite horror stories about pieces shattering or chipping, mother of pearl is quite easy to work with - similar to working with bone, stag, or ivory. The same tooling to cut, grind, shape, sand and polish it is used.

Pearl Inlay

Inlaying is the process of ornamenting a surface by setting into it material of different color or substance, usually in such a manner as to preserve a continuous plane. Inlay is employed in connection with a great variety of objects, both of major architectural character and of minor furnishing and decorative function, and makes use of a wide range of materials, such as mother-of-pearl, wood, stone, ivory, glass, metal and tortoiseshell.

The art is of ancient origin and has been continuously and widely employed.

Over the past 500 years Thai mother-of-pearl inlay work has developed a distinctive and beautiful style. Used for a wide variety of decorative purposes, items have included doors and windows for temples, palace thrones and precious objects such as monks' alms bowls or boxes.