20th Century mother-of-pearl seashell spoon with organic, modern design. Spoon is made entirely of mother-of-pearl shell. An elegant serving spoon and a wonderful vessel for serving caviar.

Size: 8 1/2 x 2 1/2 in. 

#2528 . 

Nacre, also known as mother of pearl, is an organic/inorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer, and the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent, composed of hexagonal platelets of aragonite, so thin as to be close to the wavelength of visible light, interfering constructively and destructively at different viewing angles to create structural colors. This structure also greatly increases its toughness, making it almost as strong as silicon, and the discovery of this has even inspired modern scientists working on developing stronger building materials. The main commercial sources of mother of pearl have been the pearl oyster, freshwater pearl mussels, and to a lesser extent the abalone, popular for their sturdiness and beauty in the latter half of the 19th century. The international trade in mother of pearl is governed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, an agreement signed by more than 170 countries. Both black and white nacre are used in clothing, jewelry, art, and even architecture and on musical instruments, with future implementation in biotech surgery repairing human bone in development.

Small crack on top.