Mothe of Pearl Work - Raden 螺鈿

Mother of Pearl is the iridescent inside lining of a mollusk shell.It is most commonly found in 3 types of mollusks - pearl oysters, freshwater mussels, and abalone (They use abalone in Tango, Kyoto - by the way Tango reminds me of my hometown, but better version, after all it is about same distance from LA to San Diego and on the same Japan Sea coast). 

To protect the inside of their shells from parasites and foreign irritants, the mollusk coats it with nacre - an organic substance that gives mother of pearl its iridescent effect and distinct beauty.  This multicolored iridescence is caused by the way light reflects on the layers of nacre on the shell.

Raden; Japanese decorative technique dates back to Nara Era (645 - 794) used for lacquerware and woodenware, in which lining of mother of pearl or of abalone shells are cut into designs and either glued onto or inserted into the surface of the lacquer or wood.

Here is a Raden video on my other channel (that nobody watches) collaborating with Kyoto Prefecture.

https://www.youtube.com/watchraden

About 40 years ago, a guy from Tango, Kyoto discovered the way to put Raden on silk after a couple of years of trial and error. It is truly breathtaking. 

Please contact us at yokobeverlyhills@gmail.com for availability. It is usually sold out in a day or 2.