How to Clean Mother of Pearl (Nacre)

Last Updated: May 6, 2021

Mother of pearl is the lining on the inner side of some mollusk shells and it is also the creator of true pearls, hence the term "Mother of Pearl". It is iridescent and strong, and is used for a lot of decorative items in the home. When it comes to cleaning it, this is easy enough to do provided you take care not to use anything that might damage the nacre.

Steps

1
Dip a soft cleaning cloth into olive oil.
2
Rub the cloth gently over the mother of pearl item.
3
Finish by polishing using a piece of silk.
4
Ensure that the piece is dry before returning to storage. If it is on display, be sure that its base is dry.
5
Finished.

Community Q&A

Question

What if I don't have silk?

vani samalla

Community Answer

You can use cotton instead of silk. This is easy enough to do provided you take care not to use anything that might damage the nacre.

Warnings

Chemicals can destroy nacre. Do not use any chemicals on it.

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Nacre is easily scratched, so be careful to ensure that the cleaning cloth is very soft.^{[2]
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