Tortoise shell art was once quite popular in India. Tortoise shells are produced by the two types of turtle. The shells occur as thirteen thin plates on the carapace. Visakhapattanam in Andhra Pradesh and Daman Diu (an island just off the Gujarat coast) are the two centres where the art of tortoise shell flourished. Visakhapattanam is admired for its art in tortoise shell with ivory into fine decorative jewelry boxes. Due to the death of large number tortoises each year, the source of tortoise shells is at ebb. The little amount of shells is derived from the Southern side of India. The derived material is used for the production of earrings, bracelets, solid bangles and necklaces. The pieces of the ornaments are linked with silver wire giving them a gaudy look. The art on tortoise shell was prohibited through the enactment of law.
Though the Art of Tortoise shell requires efficiency and imagination to create the ornaments and figurines, the art is waning.
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