Mother of Pearl

Our namesake, Father Piccirillo, was inspired by our mother-of-pearl crafting due to its unique development in Bethlehem. Mother-of-pearl first began to be used in Bethlehem in the 4th century, with the first evidence of its application in the early mosaics in the Church of the Nativity. Later, mother-of-pearl was embedded in wood pieces as an accent, casting a heavenly shine onto the massive and intricate replicas of sacred buildings that many world Christians would only ever know through these pieces of artwork when they toured around the world. Later, artists began to delicately cut into the mother-of-pearl, inking the cuts, which added dimension to their pieces. As artists became bolder and more experienced with mother-of-pearl, they began to carve it, creating dramatic scenes of the nativity story. From this evolution came the Takhreem technique, completely native to Bethlehem and found nowhere else in the world. Indeed, one can only tell the authenticity of a Bethlehem piece by the presence of this carving technique, which creates intricate designs that that frame and embellish the storytelling of each piece. This technique must be done by hand with a specialized tool, and until today cannot be replicated by any machine.

The products in this category

Nativity Shell

SKU: MOP000001 Price: $150

MOP Cross

SKU: MOP0000002 Price: $7

Cros With Round Fram

SKU: MOP0000003 Price: $15

Dove With Tree in mouth

SKU: MOP0000004 Price: $7

Eye Tear Earing

SKU: MOP0000005 Price: $12

Eye Tear Earing

SKU: MOP0000006 Price: $10

Round Earing

SKU: MOP0000007 Price: $15

Square Earing

SKU: MOP0000008 Price: $15

Nativity Shell Craved

SKU: MOP0000009 Price: $70

Cross

SKU: MOP0000010 Price: $12

Mop Cross Rosary

SKU: MOP0000011 Price: $50

Nativity Shell

SKU: MOP000012 Price: $50

Nativity Shell

SKU: MOP000013 Price: $200

Mop Shell Last Supper

SKU: MOP000014 Price: $3000

MOP Dove

SKU: MOP000015 Price: $10

MOP Heart With Cross in the middle

SKU: MOP000016 Price: $10

Mop Jerusalem Cross

SKU: MOP000017 Price: $10

Nativity Grotto Shell

SKU: MOP000018 Price: $50

MOP Rosary

SKU: MOP000019 Price: $100

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