Melanie Georgacopoulos takes her love of pearls to an even greater height, highlighting mother-of-pearl with her new MOP Shell Collection. Mother-of-pearl is the flattish luminous nacre—the lips of the pearl-producing mollusks—cut from shells and typically used in lower-priced jewels and inlay for antique furniture. Mother-of-pearl is not generally seen in high-end jewels, a point that this pearl lover and London-based jewelry designer aims to change through her clever use of the lovely and underappreciated gem.

“Mother-of-pearl is a strong, resilient, and iridescent material,” explains the artist. “As a material, it is more widely used than pearls. However, despite its popularity, it has never reached the pearl’s symbolic status. This collection aims to explore the potential of mother-of-pearl, celebrate its qualities as a material, and showcase its various beautiful, rich colors.”

Georgacopoulos’ MOP Shell Collection features 28 SKUs in 18k white and yellow gold with mother-of-pearl, freshwater, and South Sea pearls. Seamless three-dimensional silhouettes of diamond and emerald shapes of mother-of-pearl elevate the material’s status and further push the boundaries of its design possibilities. Retail prices start at $3,500.

Necklace in 18k gold with a diamond-shape peacock-color mother-of-pearl pendant, $3,500

Ring in 18k gold with white emerald-shape mother-of-pearl and freshwater pearl, $4,550

Double Diamond Bangle in 18k gold with diamond-shape lavender mother-of-pearl, $5,980

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JCK