Celtic knotwork designs are the primary component of Celtic art. Although spirals, key patterns and zoomorphic figures are featured, knotwork patterns are what most people think of as Celtic Art.

Celtic knotwork consists of designs where lines interlace, (go over and under each other forming decorative knots). Celtic knotwork represents the intertwining of the forces of nature: earth and water, night and day, life and death.

This Celtic knot design incorporates Mother of Pearl, or nacre which is the iridescent substance that is a secretion of the mantle tissue of some fresh and salt-water mollusks. The chief sources of nacre are the pearl oyster, found primarily in Asia and freshwater pearl mussels, which live in many rivers of the United States, Europe, and Asia; and the abalone of California, Japan, and other Pacific regions.

This iridescent inner layer has been used for centuries in making jewelry as well as furniture, art and architecture.