Bone/ Horn/ Shell Craft

The early pages of Indian civilization are full of descriptions of horn combs which adorned the tresses of women in ancient times. In shining black and translucent shades of greys, Bengal horn work is still a fascinating craft.

The tortoise-shell is used for making trinket boxes along with ivory. Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh is a prominent centre where this shell is used. The forties shell at the moment is used in a very limited way as it is in short supply. The best known product of this shell is the beautiful octagonal jewel box with the ivory net cover.