I have read many of the reviews on this clock and some are very wrong...  The clock is neither plastic nor tin.  It is light weight because it made from the inner lining of oyster shells, that is what gives it the iridescent quality, mother of pearl.  They are scraped out and painstakingly layered to form a shape similar to a plate.  Once they get the desired shape they must smooth it and they likely use a resin to give it strength.  They are then hand painted.  Each will look slightly different from the next because they are hand made.  One lady complained that there was no blue...mine has blue and brown, gold, red, orange, black and white.  See the picture I attached...  mine is slightly more coffee stained in the center (for lack of a better description) so it is less white than the picture on the website.  All in all, it is very rich looking...I love it and it is very beautiful.  Worth every penny.