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Commodity illustration: Mother-of-pearl

Category:Precious materials

Mother-of-pearl

Standard price
900 pieces of eight for 1 kg
Surplus
200 pieces of eight
Scarcity
1,000 pieces of eight
Bulk
0.01 Tons

Equivalent to 90,000 pieces of eight per ton

Export regions

Mother-of-pearl is the shimmering layer inside certain shells. It is shipped as whole shells or pieces, sometimes with a dull outer surface that hides the iridescence beneath.

Craftsmen cut and polish it for inlays, ornaments, cups and spoons. Indian workshops make mother-of-pearl wares for distant markets. Collecting the shells supplies the raw material; the craft lies in choosing, shaping and joining pieces that catch the light. This cargo is shell, distinct from the pearls a mollusc may also produce.

Sources and adaptations

References in the Pavillon Noir books:

  • Carnet de Vercourt, p. 532.

Ludic RPG adaptations used on this page:

  • Goods sold by the kilogram: bulk (house rule).

The description was written by Ludic RPG. Prices are game values expressed in pieces of eight.