A mother of pearl inlaid wooden brush pot, depicting branches…
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A Mother of pearl inlaid wooden brush pot, depicting branches of magnolia and other flowers amidst rockwork, with varying colours of hardstone including lapis lazuli detailing the slightly waisted sides of the pot, 10.5 cm high. Provenance: Purchased 1970s, Ex private collection, Japan, thence by descent to the current owner.

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  • Hardstone - Hardstone is not a scientific name for a particular gemstone, but a word used to describe any one or more semi-precious stones used in jewellery and decorative arts, and can include jade, agate, onyx, rock crystal, amber, jet and carnelian. Softer stones and minerals such as soapstone, and alabaster and hard stones used in building such as marble or granite are generally excluded.
  • Mother-Of-Pearl - Mother-of-pearl, technical name "nacre", is the inner layer of a sea shell. The iridescent colours and strength of this material were widely used in the nineteenth century as an inlay in jewellery, furniture, (especially papier mache furniture) and musical instruments.

    In the early 1900s it was used to make pearl buttons. Mother-of-pearl is a soft material that is easily cut or engraved.

    Nowadays it is a by-product of the oyster, freshwater pearl mussel and abalone industries.
  • Lapis Lazuli - Lapis lazuli is a semi-precious deep blue coloured stone, sometimes with gold inclusions, that has been used for thousands of years for jewellery, decorative items and decoration.

    It is mined in Afghanistan, Siberia, Chile, USA and Burma. The mines in north-eastern Afghanistan are the largest source of lapis lazuli, and have been operating for over 6,000 years.

    They were the source of the stone for the ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilsations.

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