tortoise shell

[toddr]

over the years i have picked up a few box turtle shells while out in the woods. i cut into one to see about possibly making a pick out of it. the shell looks like bone. are actual tortoise shell picks from the outer covering over the bone or of the bone itself. the outer covering of the shell i cut into is paper thin and i dont believe the bone would make a good pick. can anyone enlighten me on this?

[Flowerpot]

Picks are made from the outer shell (carapace) of a particular sea turtle, the Hawksbill tortoise. Land turtles make pretty crummy picks, as they are more like bone than anything, but they usually wear rough and scratchy. Sorry, not all turtles are created equal.

[peterbc]

My roomate and I were wondering, why are they called tortoise shell picks when they are in fact turtles?

[Gail Hester]

TORTOISE VS TURTLE

Turtles are defined as any of a large and widely distributed order (Chelonia) of land, freshwater, and saltwater reptiles having a toothless beak and a soft body encased in a hard shell into which, in most species, the head, tail, and four legs may be withdrawn. Although water (especially sea) species are usually called turtle, and land species are usually called tortoise, the terms are properly interchangeable for all species. (Webster's New World Dictionary, second collection).

-Chuck

[Pattroglyph]

Interesting facts from Japanese culture about the use of Tortoise Shell in art, music and literature.

Tortoise/Turtle (kame)
Symbolizes long life – 1000 years of life / a tortoise with tails means 10,000 years of life. The tortoise is the messenger of the Queen and an important character in the legend of Urashina. (A wonderful story about a five colored shell and five colored robe. A princess was in the form of a tortoise and caught in the net of Urashina. In spite of assured wealth from the sale of the tortoise, he releases her from his net to find out later it is his future love.)

Tortoise shell (kikko)

The Hexagon
Longevity and good luck-- The segments of the tortoise’s shell are hexagonal in shape.

[peterbc]

Isn't Japan one of the few countries still harvesting sea turtles? You'd think they wouldn't want their future loves to go extinct...

[cwtwang]

Todd,

I agree, only the Hawksbill turtle shell makes great picks and unless you can find old stash or antique boxes, etc. it is illegal as you probably know.

Sooo...what is the answer? The only faux-tortoise on the planet. Tor-tise picks by redbeartrading company and there happens to be a sale (this is the last day) over the holiday weekend. Clown Barf, tortoise look (look real) and now Coral. Medium or heavy gauges are available in many different shapes. They are the real deal!!

Go here:

http://www.redbeartrading.com/cbspecial.shtml

[pick guy]

Hi peterbc!

I have some 100-125 year-old pages from natural history works covering turtles and such, and it appears that back then, just about everything that had a shell and four legs was called a "tortoise". Don't know if the terms; tortoise (land animal), turtle (marine animal) and terrapin (freshwater animal) were used then as well, or not. That was also the period (pre-plastics) during which many personal, decorative and practical items were being made out of the 13 chitinous plates that cover the bone shells of Hawksbill and to a lesser extent Green turtles. So the term "TORTOISEshell" caught on with the general public, and has stuck, even to the extent of becoming the term used to describe almost any brownish, dark/light mottled color; "tortoiseshell kittens", for instance. (Don't even think about it... cathide makes lousy picks.) (They don't hold up in rain.)

[Tim Saxton]

Where are Hawksbill tutrles native to?

Tim

[grandmainger]

Where are Hawksbill turtles native to?
This info from the WWF:

Distribution
The hawksbill is pan-tropical and has only rarely been recorded outside the tropics. It is found in the eastern Atlantic from as far north as the coast of France to the southern tip of Africa. There are feeding grounds in the Mediterranean. The range stretches from along the east coast of Africa, the Middle East and India to South Asia and as far north as China. It is also found in the coastal waters of Australia and Indonesia. In the Americas, hawksbills occur in the east Pacific from the United States to Peru, and in the west Atlantic, from Nova Scotia to Brazil.

Basically, they are present in pretty much every tropical oceanic area.

Germain

[Jim Garber]

Sooo...what is the answer? #The only faux-tortoise on the planet. Tor-tise picks by redbeartrading company and there happens to be a sale (this is the last day) over the holiday weekend. Clown Barf, tortoise look (look real) and now Coral. #Medium or heavy gauges are available in many different shapes. #They are the real deal!!

Go here:

http://www.redbeartrading.com/cbspecial.shtml
Cheryl:
What are these picks? Are they plastic? And how do they differ from any of the other imitation tortoise picks out there. The price is pretty high for plastic, don't you think?

Jim

[Eugene]

Luthier John Greven is linked to the development of Tortis. His site (http://www.grevenguitars.com/tortis.htm) offers only a little on it. This one (http://www.redbeartrading.com/picks.html) offers a bit more. I've never tried the stuff.

[Jim Garber]

Cheryl:
Have you tried these picks? Are these the ones you prefer?

Jim

[Dan Cole]

I having been using a Tortis MOndo. #It really is a great pick, a fellow player actually ask me if I was using a Tortoise pick. #Spendy at $18.00 per copy, but one is certainly worth a test drive. #Got mine at Gryphon.

You might also listen to the following demos st Folk of the Wood:
http://www.folkofthewood.com/page4021.htm

[mikeyes]

The Grand Cayman Island cultivates and replaces Hawkbill Turtles so if you have a hankering to see one or a thousand or so, go there. If you don't swim, fish, play golf, or sit in the sun, there is not much more to do than to visit the turtle farm <G>

[Luthier Vandross]

I have used alot of Greven's Tor-tis guards, I have had 2 explode while trying to install them... my fault.

I think that material looks better than any other 'replacement' (the plain jane regular pattern is stunning) but it flexes, and attacks nothing like real shell.

It's brittle!

M