Pair of vintage mother of pearl opera glasses, together with a…
click the photo to enlarge
Pair of vintage Mother of pearl opera glasses, together with a pair of vintage tortoiseshell opera glasses

You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.

Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item

When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

This item has been sold, and the description, image and price are for reference purposes only.
  • Tortoiseshell - Tortoiseshell is a translucent material that comes from the horny carapace of a certain types of turtles, including the hawksbill turtle. It is often therefore mounted on a colour underground - often red - or inlaid with gold or silver thread, as seen in Boulle furniture.

    The texture and colour nuances of the material are extremely important. Heated tortoiseshell can easily be formed into various shapes. Like other natural materials, tortoiseshell becomes more beautiful with use. In a time before plastic, tortoiseshell was widely used for small objects such as combs and powder compacts.

    In 1973, the trade of tortoiseshell worldwide was banned under CITES (The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). Prior to importing or exporting items containing tortoiseshell a CITES permit must be obtained. Tortoiseshell items cannot be traded on Ebay.

    "Faux tortoiseshell", another case of man initiating nature, is made from old-style plastics such as celluloid and cellulos and is coloured with red, yellow and brown spots to imitate the genuine article. It is commonly used in glasses frames, musical instruments and costume jewellery.
  • Mother-Of-Pearl - Mother-of-pearl, technical name "nacre", is the inner layer of a sea shell. The iridescent colours and strength of this material were widely used in the nineteenth century as an inlay in jewellery, furniture, (especially papier mache furniture) and musical instruments.

    In the early 1900s it was used to make pearl buttons. Mother-of-pearl is a soft material that is easily cut or engraved.

    Nowadays it is a by-product of the oyster, freshwater pearl mussel and abalone industries.

This item has been included into following indexes:

Visually similar items

Antique walking sticks with English hallmarked silver furnishings (3)

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Eight piece continental silver dessert set, including 7 small spoons and one serving spoon, all with gilt washed bowls. Wt. 275grams (total).

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Pair of George III sterling silver spectacles, (1)

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Ten silver spoons and forks, Victorian etc. (10) total weight approx 250g

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.