Mother of pearl forks are extremely hard to attain! They are highly collectible because they are very difficult to find. This is a set of 10 mother of pearl handled knives and forks from the 1800's. The collars are sterling silver, the handles are glistening mother of pearl. The knives are marked J. E. Caldwell and one is marked A. F. Towle. Mother of pearl was a glowing, pearlescent material used to make utensil handles in the 1800's. The silversmiths used the beautiful iridescent interior of oyster and abalone shells to create these unique works of art.