Topic: Ring Box - made from what?

[Anne]

This is pretty old I'm sure. The inside is quite badly worn but the outside is perfect - how odd is that?!

I can't make out what it's made out of, it's very smooth and highly polished. There are striations in the material and where the edges are cut through to make the top and bottom edges of the box and the lid it seems to be slightly ridged - you can sort of see this on the open picture.

Could it be ivory or bone? I can't think it could be an early plastic with that texture. I can't get a decent closeup of the edge - I'll try again tomorrow.

[Sue C]

Bone usualy has small black dot's Anne, where the little blood vessel's ran through it, heat the end of a pin and place it in a place that wont show, if plastic it should smell acrid.

P.S i think ivory 

[Lustrousstone]

What does it say in the lid?

[Anne]

Christine, I was hoping no-one would ask me that cos it's so hard to read!

OK so what we can make out with the highest power magnifier we own is as follows:

I *think* it says A Morris in script diagonally across the middle.

Above that on the left side are three lines of text: top = unreadable, middle = Optician, bottom = London S.W.

Top right is two more lines of text, top line = Telephone, bottom line K........... 1936 (bit between K and 1936 is unreadable)

Bottom right, three more lines: top = Goldsmith, middle = Jeweller, bottom = Watchmaker

How's that for starters?

[Anne]

Sue, thanks for explaining the difference. I think Ivory rather than Bone as well based on that. It is absolutely beautiful - it feels soooooo smooth.

[Lustrousstone]

Kensington 1936?

[Lustrousstone]

Based on that phone number probably earlier or not much later than 1958

[Anne]

I wondered about Kensington as that would be London S.W. or maybe Knightsbridge - so probably a posh shop then.

I just found this site which lists all the old alpha-numeric London exchange names: http://www.rhaworth.myby.co.uk/phreak/tenp_01.htm - for alpha numeric numbers they also say 1920-1958 time period.