Inlaid lacquerware is one of the traditional varieties of lacquerware in China. It is made by using thinly ground and cut shell fragments as inlaid decorations.
Thin mother-of-pearl lacquerware originated in the Northern Song Dynasty. The so-called thin mother-of-pearl is made by carefully selecting high-quality shells such as moonlight snails, stripping and cutting them into fine dots, lines, and pieces, and then embedding them point by point on the lacquerware base. Sometimes, gold or silver strips, pieces, and scraps are also interspersed. After being decorated and polished, the work becomes colorful, brilliant like a rainbow, and exquisite and delicate.