1920s Art Deco tortoiseshell celluloid studs box

This charming and collectable little studs box dates from around the 1920s. It has an unusual hexagonal shape and is made from fine, lightweight celluloid with a faux tortoiseshell pattern. It is topped with a little ivory-coloured celluloid stud and measures 6 cm across and is roughly 3 cm deep.

By the middle of the 19th century elephants were facing extinction if the use of their ivory, used for a host of items from piano keys to billiard balls, continued. The same fate awaited some species of turtle as their shell was harnessed for combs. The invention of celluloid in 1883 allowed manufacturers to imitate the distinctive graining of ivory, and by the end of 19th century celluloid was marketed as a lighter ivory substitute under various names including Ivarine, French Ivory and Ivory Pyralin.