Featured Antique Tortoiseshell Eating Trousse

Concur too! Was going to use the same reason back then, no need to fake tortoiseshell, it was very abundant supply
@blooey, having handled lots of it gives you a « sense » of the material
I visited a local museum of antique combs, and the curator challenged me to recognize celluloid from blond turtleshell only from seeing in the showcases
She was stumped by my high rate of correct id

 

Nice job!!!

 

Nice work. In the future, no-one will ever question the pommel the originality unless it began life as ivory.

 

Out of curiosity, are these trousses ever reproduced? I'm sure they must be, right?

 

The pommel I'm pretty sure was bone. The collar is bone, so the pommel would have to be bone too. Plus, I saw an almost identical set online, which had a bone pommel. Plus, bone would've been more readily available than ivory...

 

Ok, if the collar was bone that makes sense. Keep in mind though, almost nobody admits to ivory being ivory online, usually it is described as something else to get around the rules, e.g. "camel bone", similarly, *real* tortoiseshell will be described as "faux tortoiseshell" for the same reason. Not supposed to sell this stuff!!

 

Interestingly, I ran into a friend of mine today, and showed him the trousse.

"I have one of those! I bought it at a charity shop. Mine is ivory and nickel, though...not bone and tortoise-shell like yours..."

I told him, if he is ever overcome with the urge to sell it...I'm available