To reduce irritation, the mollusk coats the intruder with the same secretion it uses for shell-building, nacre. To culture freshwater mussels, workers slightly open their shells, cut small slits ...

In a new study from Princeton University, scientists turned toward the humble oyster and its iridescent composite material nacre for design inspiration. Matching the characteristics of nacre at ...

Once considered dowdy and kitsch, some of the coolest designers are reimagining mother of pearl decor, giving it a whole new ethereal elegance ...

This creates a material called nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, which encases the irritant and protects the mollusc from it. When pearls are cultured commercially an irritant is manually inserted ...