Posted 9 years ago
alien-j
(10 items)
I love this little box, especially the detail of the flowers inside on the bottom. I would like to know what it's made out of. It's not porous so that should eliminate bone. I tried the "hot pin" test. The pin did not sink into the material, just left a little brown mark. Could this be some type of ivory? There is no maker's mark that I can see. Only a small mark in the bottom, inside, to the bottom left of the flowers there. It could be a 7 lying horizontally, but it looks more like a question mark without the dot, lying horizontally. Hoping someone out there has one just like it and can help me out! Thanks.
Hard to tell from photos. The box walls seem too thick to be celluloid; perhaps meerschaum with some kind of iridescent coating? I'm just guessing. Does anyone know if celluloid can be applied to another material as a top layer?
The hot pin test is pretty much not done anymore, according to what I've read on blogs and sites, as collectors don't like to see the blemish. This is a pretty box, what makes you think it's vintage or antique? Is it possible to get a photo of the hallmark?
Yes, davyd286 and Katherine's collection,59, I will try to capture the mark in a photo. I don't necessarily think it is vintage or antique, I was mainly wondering what it is made of. Thank you for your comments. I'll get that photo as quickly as I can.
This is the best I could do on the photo of the little mark. If the heart has it's point towards you, the mark is slightly below and to the left of the roses. You'll probably have to zoom to see it.
Every site I looked at regarding how to differentiate between bone, resin and ivory said to use the hot pin method. What would you recommend, katherinescollections? Also, the box stays cool to the touch. It really doesn't warm up even after being held for some time. Thanks for your time and input.