Second only to Khon mask-making, the art of mother-of-pearl inlaying is almost as difficult as the former because each piece of shell must be delicately cut and polished into a very tiny size to fit into each part of the equally delicate pattern

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/concepts_an d_ideas/religion/2900754-bangkok-thai-deity-in-moth er-of-pearl-inlay.php?id=2900754

Photographer's Description:
Bangkok: Thai Deity (apsara or "angel") in Mother-of-Pearl Inlay on black lacquer, an image set into the feet of the large reclining Buddha statue in Wat Pho temple, near the royal palace complex.

NOTE: Multicolored reflections are the natural behavior of mother-of-pearl (as with abalone shells), and are not "pixel discoloration
Photographer's Description:
Bangkok: Thai Deity (apsara or "angel") in Mother-of-Pearl Inlay on black lacquer, an image set into the feet of the large reclining Buddha statue in Wat Pho temple, near the royal palace complex.

NOTE: Multicolored reflections are the natural behavior of mother-of-pearl (as with abalone shells), and are not "pixel discoloration