Absolutely gorgeous! That's the best way to describe this exceptionally fine and well preserved case, both inside and out. The only thing keeping it from being perfectly pristine is the lack of a pair of manicure scissors (easily replaced) and a little light surface abrasion to the old shell here or there. Not a single bug bite or nip or chip or crack to ruin the perfection of this one, and push-button opener works well, clasps tightly closed, too. The set must have been stored and never used. The ivory brush with boar bristles is clean as can be, as is the file that's built into the handle. The opposite end of the handle is a cuticle tool, and then you have buffer and also a covered pot for polish or nail lotions, cuticle creams. All in such nice condition!
Very good to excellent, as noted above. The beautiful inlays of pique have no missing bits and no raised, either. Smooth, sleek, thick pillow of a case, it's 3.75" x 2 3/8" and is 1 1/8" thick. Superb cognac to chocolate coloration to the old shell, too. Circa 1870- 1890, latest, possibly earlier.
The vast majority of worked and antique object tortoise shell material comes from the shells of two species of sea turtles: the hawksbill (Eretmo-chelys imbricata) and, more rarely, the green turtle (see box A). The shells of these turtles exhibit attractive patterns that normally consist of light to dark brown patches, though a homogeneous “cream”-colored variety called blond tortoise shell also exists.
IMPORTANT NOTE regarding antique tortoise shell or ivory: We are great supporters of protection for endangered species in our modern world. We never buy or sell anything 100 years or newer; we donate to anti-poaching organizations; we don't hunt; we conserve in ways that impact global warming (we're totally solar at home), knowing those measures also protect the animals in the wild today. We also recognize the vast cultural history we preserve with our care and reverence for these antique objects, and agree with CITES that objects over 100 years of age have nothing whatsoever to do with species depletion in our current world.
Our offering exceeds the age limitation of "more than 100 years of age", and is well within the exemption for CITES regulation. If imported, met the CITES regulation. This item will be handled and shipped from our Utah business, and is not available for shipment internationally, nor within the USA to California, NY, Nevada, Hawaii, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington if it contains ivory, sorry. Please see our small print for more details.
