Charming heart-shaped locket, pill box, or snuff box, made of white mother-of-pearl encircled with silver-plated metal. It has a small clasp to open it and a ring to hang it like a piece of jewelry!
Mother-of-pearl is a natural and organic material. It is the iridescent coating synthesized by certain shells throughout their lives. This coating lines the inside of the shell, forming the smooth, iridescent lining of mollusk shells, such as oysters or mussels, for example.
It is therefore a mineral produced by a living organism, a bio-mineral. The shell uses specialized cells to produce mother-of-pearl molecules, which it deposits on the shell and sometimes on the pearl when the conditions for a pearl's birth are met. These cells are found in the animal's "mantle," which passes several times a day to add "bricks (aragonite) and cement (conchiolin)" (source: specialiste-de-la-nacre.com).
It is therefore the same material that is used to make the shell and the pearl.
The word "nacre" comes from the Arabic "naqqarah." In English, it is called by the name given to it by the first Queen Elizabeth, who lived in the 15th century: mother of pearl. Mother-of-pearl has been used by humans for a very long time, as tools and jewelry made in Mesopotamia have been found. Shells were used as currency all over the world; they were also used as containers: some are so large that they serve as baptismal fonts in churches. The Mayans made dental implants from mother-of-pearl. Early Christians associated it with the Virgin Mary because of its purity, and the scallop shell became the emblem of pilgrims to Compostela (source: www.vuillermoz.fr).
Its beauty is such that mother-of-pearl was already a decorative element in Antiquity. It was inlaid in lacquerware and wooden furniture in Japan and China. Used pure, it also served to make buttons. Many Chinese engravings were made of mother-of-pearl. This complex process brought great finesse to scenes of oriental life, landscapes, and objects of all kinds. The work of mother-of-pearl in the Far East still respects traditions today to provide decorations of very high quality. Western countries also used mother-of-pearl from the Middle Ages. It was then used to manufacture luxury products. In the 14th century, it was widely used to make small religious sculptures, then from the 16th century, it was commonly found in oriental furniture as decorative inlay. Italy used mother-of-pearl in the 18th century for haberdashery and jewelry. Finally, it was noted in the 19th century for decorating boxes and furniture (source: www.pingtipong.com/bijoux/nacre-et-histoire-de-l-art).
Mother-of-pearl has been used to make accordion buttons, jewelry, to give pearly reflections to cosmetic products... Cabinetmakers used it to marquetry furniture, like the famous Boulle who also used tortoiseshell and metal veneers.
Here it is a small snuff box: tobacco was sniffed before it was smoked. The snuff box was often given as a gift or worn as jewelry.
It is a very refined small object that can be used as a pendant or to elegantly adorn a display cabinet or a cabinet of curiosities.
It is in excellent condition.
Dimensions: height 3.2 cm, width 2.7 cm, with bail 3.5 cm, weight 9 g.
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