Najeonchilgi.

At JAGAE, we create a range of products using mother-of-pearl, one of Korea’s most treasured traditional materials. Our first piece is the mother-of-pearl keycap: personalize it with any four letters you like, and enjoy a distinctive, crisp, satisfying keystroke.

Known in Korea as najeonchilgi, the art of inlaying mother-of-pearl into lacquer has been practiced for more than a thousand years and reached its height during the Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392). Artisans cut abalone shell into delicate pieces and set them, one by one, into layers of natural lacquer to create flowers, vines, and birds that seem to glow from within. Because every shell is unique, each piece shimmers with its own play of blue, green, and pink as the light moves across it.