Mother-of-Pearl Yin Yang Pendant

Pendant mother-of-pearl pendant with Yin Yang

With a glued-on metal eyelet, nickel-free. This is a natural product, so the color, shape, and size may vary and differ from the image shown.

Tao (道 literally the Way or the Path; pinyin transliteration: dào - in Japanese: dō), often translated as The Principle, is one of the main concepts of Chinese Philosophy. It is the eternal, essential and fundamental force that flows through all matter in the Universe, living or otherwise.

It is usually associated with Taoism, but Confucianism also refers to it. To put it in a word, the Tao "is".

In traditional Chinese Taoist philosophy, the fundamental function of the Tao is to represent the universe. At the beginning of time, the latter was in a state called Wu Chi ( = absence of differentiations/absence of polarity). At a certain point, two polarities of different signs formed, representing the fundamental principles of the universe:

• Yang the positive, masculine principle, represented in white.
• Yin the negative, feminine principle, represented in black.

Dimensions: 3.5 cm

Material: Mother-of-pearl

Delivered with a black cotton cord.

History

Mother-of-pearl is known internationally under the name “Nacre”, a term derived from the Arabic word “naqqarah”, which means shell or casing.

It was Queen Elizabeth I who in the 16th century gave the name “Mother of Pearl” to this shiny material, already known in 3,000 B.C. to embellish jewelry and objects. The name also alludes to the fact that shells are, so to speak, the “mothers” of pearls.

Mother-of-pearl has been used for centuries to make precious jewelry and art objects. In China, they discovered as early as the centuries before the birth of Christ that by placing small figures of saints inside still-living mollusks, it was possible in a short time to find them completely covered in Mother-of-pearl. These sculptures represented deities and, in the hope that they would bring good luck to men, were carried inside religious temples.

The American anthropologist Carlos Castaneda told that the Yaqui Indians of Mexico used to wear Mother-of-pearl necklaces called “hopo’orosim”, which were supposed to protect from evil.

In the 20s, the Sumerian tombs were opened in Babylon and among the finds emerged a rich treasure of gold, silver, precious stones, as well as numerous wooden ornaments and musical instruments covered in mother-of-pearl.

During the reign of Elizabeth I, the demand for Mother-of-pearl grew incredibly and was used for the production of all types of jewelry. Even today Mother-of-pearl is very loved, especially moreover in the watchmaking industry, as well as for artistic objects, buttons and inlaid decorations.

Chemical Composition

Mother-of-pearl is composed of calcium carbonate. The innermost and iridescent layer of mollusks, oysters or mussels, is called Mother-of-pearl. The colors of Mother-of-pearl differ depending on the species and geographical origin.

Varieties

There are several varieties of Mother-of-pearl. Very widespread is the Mother-of-pearl of the pearl shell, which can reach almost 5 kg in weight. The base color is normally white, except for Tahitian Mother-of-pearl which is darker. Very particular is the Mother-of-pearl of the New Zealand Paua shells. Due to their splendor of colors, their intense brilliance in blue and green tones and their similarity to Black Opal, they are often called Sea Opal.