Iridescent inner layer of an abalone shell, the natural nacre that becomes najeon

Najeon: Korea's Mother-of-Pearl Art

Najeon (나전) is the Korean craft of inlaying iridescent mother-of-pearl into black lacquer. Here is what it is, the thousand-year story behind it, how it is made, and where to see and buy it in Korea.

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What Is Najeon?

Najeon (나전) is the art of cutting mother-of-pearl into thin, glowing slivers and inlaying them into a lacquered surface. The shimmering shell pieces themselves are called jagae (자개), and a finished lacquer object decorated this way is najeonchilgi (나전칠기), literally mother-of-pearl lacquerware.

The rainbow sheen comes from nacre, the strong, iridescent inner layer of shells such as abalone, turban shell, and pearl oyster. The deep, glassy black it sits in is ottchil (옻칠), a natural lacquer made from the sap of the lacquer tree and brushed on in many thin coats. Light enters the clear lacquer, bounces off the shell, and seems to move as you walk past the piece.

A Thousand Years of Shimmer

Korea's mother-of-pearl craft reached world-class refinement during the Goryeo dynasty (918 to 1392), the same era that produced celadon and the Tripitaka Koreana. Goryeo najeon was prized far beyond the peninsula and was even sent as royal tribute to the Liao court.

In 1123 the Song dynasty envoy Xu Jing visited Goryeo and recorded the lacquerware as so finely worked it was "exceedingly meticulous and precious." That reputation never faded. In 1966 South Korea recognized the craft as National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 10 (Najeonjang), protecting the master artisans who still cut and inlay every sliver by hand.

A Thousand Years of Najeon

From a 12th-century Goryeo box to Joseon chests, trays, and scroll cases. Tap any piece to view it full screen.

Goryeo-era trefoil lacquer box inlaid with mother-of-pearl chrysanthemums — Trefoil box with chrysanthemums, Goryeo 12th century

Black lacquer box with mother-of-pearl peony scroll inlay — Clothing box with peony scrolls, Joseon 17th century

Scroll box with mother-of-pearl dragon and phoenix on dark red lacquer — Scroll box with dragon and phoenix, Joseon 1800s

Lacquer box inlaid with mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell dragons — Clothing box with dragons, Joseon 19th century

Round lacquer tray inlaid with mother-of-pearl cranes, turtles, and lotus — Tray for sewing tools with cranes and turtles, Joseon 1800s

Foliate-shaped lacquer tray with mother-of-pearl lattice and vine scrolls — Foliate tray with vine scrolls, late 1400s to early 1500s

Black lacquer stationery box covered in mother-of-pearl peony scrolls — Stationery box with peony scrolls, Joseon 18th century

Small chest of drawers shimmering with mother-of-pearl flowers and birds — Chest of drawers with flowers and birds, early 20th century

Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Cleveland Museum of Art, public domain

How a Najeon Piece Is Made

Build and seal the form

A wooden body is shaped and coated with the first layers of lacquer to seal and harden it. A single object can pass through more than 30 separate stages from here to finish.

Cut the mother-of-pearl

Shell is sliced into paper-thin sheets and cut into pattern pieces. Curved motifs like flowers and cranes are shaped with the jureumjil technique, while fine lines and lattice are built from hair-thin filaments using kkeuneumjil.

Inlay the design

Each shell piece is glued onto the lacquered surface to compose the picture, a slow process that can demand thousands of precise placements for a single panel.

Lacquer over and dry

More coats of lacquer are brushed over the whole surface, burying the shell, and each coat is dried in a humid room before the next. This stage alone can stretch over weeks or months.

Sand back and polish

The surface is carefully sanded and polished until the buried shell reappears, flush with the glossy black lacquer. The result is the deep, moving rainbow that defines najeon.

Watch: the craft of najeon

At a Glance

Korean name

나전칠기 najeonchilgi

What it is

Mother-of-pearl inlaid in lacquer

Golden age

Goryeo dynasty (918 to 1392)

Heritage status

National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 10 (1966)

Craft capital

Tongyeong, south coast

Shell sources

Abalone, turban shell, pearl oyster

Where to See It and Take Some Home

For museum-grade pieces, the National Museum of Korea in Seoul holds refined Goryeo and Joseon lacquerware, and the Seoul Museum of Craft Art lays out the full step-by-step making process.

The spiritual home of the craft is Tongyeong on the southern coast, long the center of Korean najeon. The Tongyeong Traditional Craft Hall sells work directly (open daily, roughly 9am to 6pm), and the town holds a mother-of-pearl craft festival each August.

In Seoul, the Insadong arts district is the easiest place to shop, from small trinket boxes around 20,000 KRW to heirloom chests running well over 1,000,000 KRW. For vintage finds, browse the stalls around Dongmyo Market.

As Seen On Screen

If the glow looks familiar, the SBS 2026 fantasy rom-com My Royal Nemesis (멋진 신세계) frames each of its title cards in a najeon border, a neat nod to a heroine who slips between a Joseon palace and modern Seoul. The same craft that once decorated a royal writing box now wraps a time-slip drama.

Najeon FAQ

Is mother-of-pearl lacquerware uniquely Korean?+

Lacquer-and-shell craft exists across East Asia, but Korean najeon developed its own style and reached international fame in the Goryeo dynasty. Korea protects the skill today as National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 10.

What shells are used for the shimmer?+

The nacre comes mainly from abalone, turban shell, and pearl oyster. Korea historically used local abalone, and shell is now also sourced from waters around Australia, Taiwan, and the Philippines.

How much does a piece cost?+

Small boxes and trinkets start around 20,000 KRW. Larger trays, mirrors, and especially hand-inlaid chests rise quickly, with fine heirloom furniture reaching well over 1,000,000 KRW.

Where is the best place to buy authentic najeon?+

Insadong in Seoul is the most convenient, with a wide price range. For the real heartland of the craft, the Tongyeong Traditional Craft Hall on the south coast sells artisan work directly.

How can I tell handmade najeon from a printed imitation?+

Genuine inlay shifts color as you tilt it and catches the light from different angles, and you can often feel a faint relief where shell meets lacquer. A printed film looks flat and uniform from every angle.

Plan Your Visit

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Feb2°-6°25mm

Mar9°0°40mm

Apr17°6°65mm

May23°12°90mm

Jun27°18°130mm

Jul29°22°370mm

Aug30°22°290mm

Sep26°16°140mm

Oct19°8°45mm

Nov10°1°50mm

Dec2°-5°20mm

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