Mother of Pearl Keychain

Close-up photography of mother of pearl. Mother of pearl, known as nacre, is an organic-inorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer; it is also what makes up the outer coating of pearls. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. This is a red abalone. It’s been considered a gemstone since ancient times even though it is not a stone. Image by Marac, licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en.