How to Cut a Mother-of-Pearl

Mother-of-pearls come in a variety of colors.

Mother-of-pearl comes from the same material as the pearl and is located in pearl oysters, river mussels and abalones. Removing the outer shell leaves the strong and resilient mother-of-pearl. The color varies by species, ranging from white, green and yellow to a variety of purple shades. Although it has little value, its beauty is attractive and often cut to turn into jewelry. When cutting a mother-of-pearl, a power tool is not necessary; a jewelry saw will do the job.

Things You'll Need

• Mother-of-pearl
• Adhesive label
• Bench pin
• C-clamp
• Jeweler's saw
• Sand paper (fine)
• Superglue

Instructions

1. Sketch out a design on an adhesive label. Peel the back off and attach the label to the mother-of-pearl.

2. Place the mother-of-pearl in the V-notch of the bench pin. A bench pin is a wedge piece of wood secured to the jeweler's bench, normally secured with a C-clamp.

3. Cut the design using a jeweler's saw following the lines of the design.

4. Remove the label and then lightly sand the edges.

5. Glue the mother-of-pearl in place to its final designation using superglue.

References

• "Jewelry Concepts and Technology;" Oppi Untracht; 1982
• The Jeweler's Studio Handbook: Traditional and Contemporary Techniques for Working with Metal and Mixed Media Materials;" Brandon Holschuh; 2009