What Makes Mother of Pearl so Popular in Holy Land Gifts?



Posted: Monday, November 09, 2009

by Barbara Taylor
Eternity Enterprises, LLC

Mother of Pearl (MOP) is an incredibly popular component of Holy Land gifts done in precisely the same style as the original craftsmen. But what is MOP? And what is it that makes it such an integral part of Biblical history?

Mother of Pearl is formed from the iridescent layer of material that forms the shell lining of mollusks like pearl oysters and abalone, which are the primary sources of today's Holy Land jewelry and designs. Mother of Pearl was actually given its name because it is the creator, the "Mother," of today's pearls. Believe it or not, the layers that line the mollusks' interior have absolutely nothing to do with the aesthetic appearance of the shell. It's made up of plates of aragonite, which the mollusk secretes, and layered with silk to make it extremely flexible and perfect for use in Holy Land gifts.

Before getting too deep into the practical use of Mother of Pearl and its use in Holy land gifts, jewelry and accessories, let's take a look at how this material helps form the pearls that are so highly valued in today's society. When foreign materials drift into the shell and irritates the shell lining it closes around the irritant, creating a bump encased in a luminescent casing known as-take a guess-the pearl. Today the pearl is valued much more highly than Mother of Pearl, but it wasn't always that way.

Once upon a time pearls were considered little more than waste products from the mollusks that were used to harvest Mother of Pearl. It's said that Japanese shell divers who found pearls didn't bother to keep them, and the children of Polynesia once used the pearls for marbles. These cultures preferred to work with its flexible pre-cursor to create their own works of art, as did the early civilizations in the Holy Land that drew the mollusks in large quantities from the banks and waters of the Red Sea.

The luminescent MOP has a rich history in Palestine and the surrounding area as a carving material that evolved from a cultural habit into an art form along with olive wood carving when Franciscan monks came to the Holy Land. During their stay the monks taught the people of the Holy Land to carve mother-of-pearl into a rosary, crucifix and reproductions of the Cave of the Nativity and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Even today most of the Mother of Pearl used in Holy Land gifts created all over the world is imported from Saudi Arabia, making it an authentic representation of the Holy Land's history.

Because Mother of Pearl is such a specialized medium in today's society you can rest assured that crafts made from this luminous material are built with care by experienced craftsmen. Today, the second generation of Mother of Pearl craftsmen thrives in the Bethlehem area-the birthplace of Christ himself, making these authentic Holy land gifts the perfect way to commemorate a special occasion for the people who mean the most to you.

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