Tortoiseshell imitation

These hair ornament are made of plastic, as imitations of tortoiseshell. 

Horn can be bleached and painted, as, for example, when imitating tortoiseshell. This was sold as mockshell in the nineteenth oentuiy and was used mostly for hair ornaments, fons and combs. Hom does not last finever, but deteriorates with age. For this reason there are few very old items to be found in museums. Damp, heated storage is especially damaging to hom. 

No difforentiatiQn is made here between the three types of tortoiseshell, since any imitation would automatically be of that from the hawksbill turtle. 

F pire B.13 Plastic imitating tortoiseshell, magnified, showii swiris of colour. 

Plastic imitations are usually made of two colours mixed haphazardly. They are more clearly defined than the colours in tortoiseshell, and appear in swirls instead of patches (Figs 8.12 and 8.13). 

Obvious though it may seem, it would be unlikely to see Made in England stamped on the base of a piece of tortoiseshell, but this, or similar, is often present on plastic imitations. 

Note A further reason for burning only a small sliver of the material is that the most common early plastic used as an imitation of tortoiseshell was celluloid (cellulose nitrate), a very highly inflammable product. This material catches light with an explosion and immense care must be taken if there is any possibility whatsoever that the item to be tested could be made of celluloid. Also, some plastics melt quickly so a hot needle can cause a lot of damage to an object. 

Polystyrene is economical in production, and is used to produce low cost items in bulk. It is used to make a lot of inexpensive jewellery such as beads and bangles, and items such as imitation tortoiseshell hair ornaments or combs (Fig. 8.12). It has been used in the production of polybem. 

Cellulose nitrate was originally developed to imitate expensive natural materials such as tortoiseshell. Decorative hair combs made from celluloid in the 1920s look similar to genuine tortoiseshell. 

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