A Mother of pearl and diamond pendant necklace, van Cleef and Arpels, set with Mother-of-pearl wings and a graduated body of brilliant-cut diamonds, on a faceted cable link chain, signed Vca, numbered, 18ct gold, adjustable length 14.88 in. - 16.54 in., accompanied by a fitted box.
- Mother-Of-Pearl - Mother-of-pearl, technical name "nacre", is the inner layer of a sea shell. The iridescent colours and strength of this material were widely used in the nineteenth century as an inlay in jewellery, furniture, (especially papier mache furniture) and musical instruments.
In the early 1900s it was used to make pearl buttons. Mother-of-pearl is a soft material that is easily cut or engraved.
Nowadays it is a by-product of the oyster, freshwater pearl mussel and abalone industries.
This item has been included into following indexes: