Detail of a dress from the Tihamah region, Yemen, decorated with applied mother-of-pearl. mid-20th century.
Courtesy Textile Research Centre, Leiden, acc. no. TRC 2005.0136.
Mother-of-pearl is a composite material produced by some forms of molluscs as an inner shell layer. The molluscs are notably mussels and oysters. The material is strong, resilient and iridescent. Mother-of-pearl has long been used in various parts of the world for making decorative buttons for garments.
Mother-of-pearl has also been sewn onto garments and other objects as amulets. Garments from the Siwa Oasis in Egypt (compare the tutintfukt buttons), as well as the Tihamah, Yemen, are embellished with mother-of-pearl. The official name for mother-of-pearl is nacré.
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