Ruby Star Traders has been importing beautiful mother of pearl inlay furniture from India since 1996. When compared to bone inlay, mother of pearl inlay has a more luminous effect, and there is more variation in the tones of the individual pieces.
Each piece of mother of pearl inlay furniture is handmade by traditional artisans in the Udaipur region of India. Every piece is carved by hand and placed carefully on the frame, then the spaces are filled with coloured resin. The resin is mixed by hand by the artisan, and each batch varies slightly in colour from the last.
It takes three craftsmen about three weeks to complete a typical piece of furniture, so stock is definitely limited. There is also a shortage of craftsmen with the skills to make high quality inlay furniture, any many fear the skill may be lost altogether as the younger generation moves on from their traditional artisan roots, to seek work in the big cities.
An enduring favourite with stylists and interior designers, Ruby Star Traders' mother of pearl inlay furniture has been used in many of Australia's most elegant and exciting houses, and features frequently in Australian interior design magazines.
