A few pretty tortoise scale "reference shots"
I recently picked up this American Products 5/8ths spike on the chance that the scales were authentic tortoise, and they are! I think it's pretty rare to find them with this much translucence and sharpness, as they often darken with age, and that threw me.
Wanted to share this with others who may be wondering about some specifics to look for when checking for real tortoise, as I was.
- Thin, flat scales, with a slight bevel at the edge
- Scales have some flex, but noticeably firmer than plastic
- Translucent (though usually darker than in this example)
- The spots go through the entire thickness of the scale, not just the surface
- Sharp, irregular edges to the spots, like splattered ink rather than stripes or round blobs
- A slight reddish bleeding on the edges of some of the spots
Pics:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j2...Tortoise01.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j2...Tortoise02.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j2...Tortoise03.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j2...Tortoise05.jpg