As far back as one can remember, genuine mother-of-pearl grips on a firearm were a thing of the past-something one could no longer purchase, but reminiscent of a bygone era when this artwork of nature was utilized to embellish the arms of royalty and the gentry. Mother-of-pearl has been used to decorate firearms as far back as the mid-16th century, when, combined with abalone, polished bone, ivory and other exquisite materials, it was used in the form of decorative inlays. In the last century, mother-of-pearl found favor with a rougher breed of armsmen on the American frontier. Many westerners adorned their sidearms with mother-of-pearl stocks, in spite of its natural fragility. Such well known frontier figures as Wyatt Earp, John Slaughter, Bob Dalton, John Wesley Hardin and Arizona Ranger Jeff Kidder each owned at least one gun that sported mother-of -pearl handles.

In recent years, due to the scarcity of this precious material, coupled with the difficulty in obtaining it, putting genuine mother-of-pearl grips on a firearm or knife was totally out of the question. The only alternative, and a poor one at that, was the plastic artificial pearl-like stocks sold in many gun stores. These translucent, milky-white plastic grips were just not able to exhibit the array of colors found in real pearl.

Mother-of-pearl is harvested at a depth of 125 feet, and the oyster has to be at least four to five years old before it can be harvested. At that point, if the shells pass all inspections, they can be made into one of the most beautiful of all stock materials. When the beauty of nature is combined with the skills of expert craftsmen and the personal integrity of a dedicated company like EAGLE GRIPS who cares about quality, the results are obvious. Eagle Grips' mother-of-pearl stocks are a perfect blending of color, texture and a timeless beauty that for centuries has been considered one of the utmost forms of firearms decoration-Mother-of-pearl, the aurora borealis of the ocean.