AT the September 3 meeting, members heard a talk by George Hook, the only remaining manufacturer of Mother of Pearl in Birmingham.
He told of the popularity of this product in earlier times for buttons, cutlery handles, inlaid work and jewellery.
He brought several examples of the shells that he buys by weight from Australia and described how he extracted the beautiful iridescent linings.
Mr Hook had numerous examples of the work that used to be produced. Nowadays he concentrates on jewellery and brought many pieces that members could buy.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article