June 2025 – Nacre

We have selected a special ‘mineral’ for June 2025: mother-of-pearl. Everyone is familiar with the iridescent inner layer of many shells, but did you know that minerals are also involved here? Nacre or Mother-of-pearl is a composite material consisting of the mineral aragonite, chemically calcium carbonate, and organic substances. This combination of different ‘materials’ gives mother-of-pearl its great strength and crack resistance.

Chemical formula: CaCO₃ and organic substances

Found in 1816 off the coast of Panama (on loan from the State Zoological Collection)