Ottoman Handmade Mother of Pearl Jewelry Box 11 3/4 x 6 5/8 x 4 3/8 inch

Our hand made mother-of-pearl objects, such as boxes, represent a panicle in the art. They are crafted of fine, small pieces of genuine mother-of-pearl into tight-fitting patters with smooth, polished surfaces.

Compare to many other mother-of-pearl boxes made from larger pieces, sometimes made of plastic, with rough surfaces and the difference will be obvious.

There were three different methods used in the art of mother-of-pearl decoration; burying (gomme), plating (kaplama), gluing (macunlama). In the first two methods, single pieces of mother-of-parl, ivory or tortoise shell would be cut out according to the shapes and the sizes of the patterns already marked on the wood. The pieces would then be inlaid in the wood and glued with a paste of either blood or hot bone glue. With the third technique known as macunlama, gluing is used to salvage the left over pieces which are to small to use elsewhere. These small pieces are aranged in geometric patterns, and the spaces in betwen are filed wuth sawdust, bone powder and hot glue. After the ornament dries, it is buffed and polished.