Tortoiseshell
Also known as: tortoise finish
Brown-mottled look for buttons and accessories, today mostly plastic instead of sea turtle.
Description
Tortoiseshell originally referred to the horn plates of the hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), long used for combs, glasses frames and buttons. Since the 1977 CITES ban true tortoiseshell is fully protected. In textiles the term now denotes the brown-mottled look made of acetate, polyester or casein, still popular on blazer and folk-costume buttons. It is a pure design choice, unrelated to any safety norm. Relevant tests are rubbing fastness per ISO 105-X12 and button attachment strength per ISO 13936. For genuine material feel, coconut, horn and tagua buttons offer similar depth without CITES issues.
Properties
| Test standard | ISO 105-X12 Farbechtheit |
|---|---|
| Application | Knoepfe, Accessoires |
| Class/value | CITES-geschuetzt seit 1977 |
Related product categories
Sources & references
2- Wikipedia: Schildpatt Wikipedia — Freie Enzyklopädie https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schildpatt
- ISO 105-X12 ISO — International Organization for Standardization https://www.iso.org/standard/60767.html
