Featured Victorian tortoise or plastic earrings, please help!

Hello everyone,
I have purchased the earrings attached, sold as tortoise shell earrings, gold and silver engraved, gold hooks, but when I tested them with a hot niddle it felt like plastic, the niddle made a hole and it smells like plastic, not burned hair. They also have a line on the sides like they have been casted. I have attached a photo of weight and size, they are light for their size.
Is it possible to be plastic? I have tested them with simicrome, but no brown color came out. I am a bit confused, so, I am wondering what are your thoughts?
Please tag others that may know about this.
Thank you.
Simona
@Fid
@Any Jewelry
@Bronwen
@Figtree3
@KSW
@komokwa

 

It looks like piqué work to me, gold and silver inlaid in tortoiseshell.

Please don't ever poke hot needles in things. Piqué work is expensive, but when damaged it can lose considerable value. A precious antique ear pendant now has a hole in it.
No chemicals either, please ask here first.

 

https://www.antiquejewellerycompany...rtoiseshell-pique-drop-spear-shaped-earrings/

 

Concur on all @Any Jewelry said!
I can’t figure how this obvious antique tortoiseshell can smell plastic when red hot pin poked...
Where did you test with the hot needle? If it is near attached top ring, you may have tested glue...

 

Thank you so much. Actually, it did have a hole before I purchased them, I just did the test in the same hole, hope I did not do too much damage.
This is my first item of this kind, I did not know how tortoise is suppose to feel or smell.
Please don't be upset, I will ask here first.

 

I am just a bit depressed at the thought of it.

 

Someone else probably poked a hot needle in it.

 

Ha, that’s better
The inlay work on these is distinctive and hasn’t been imitated later though some period pieces are made on coral red early plastic!
Tortoiseshell is very light, as old amber.

 

Yes, I did the test on another hole in the top where the hook is going inside. You may be right, I looked at it and.it may be glue.
I will take a photo of it to show.

 

Tortoiseshell reacts to UV like horn doesn’t it? Worth a try?

 

@Any Jewelry
@kyratango
My camera is not very good, but the hole is next to the hook that goes in the shell. It might have been glued as I checked the other earring and it's all shiny where the hook goes in, looks like glue on the other earring, allot of it.
The idea to test it came when I have seen the hole in this earring, and was asking myself why. Please ignore my sense of logic

 

If it is in the glue, it is alright. I just canceled the ambulance.

 

LOL
Still laughing

 

That's lovely Victorian pique, as aj says.

 

In my distraught state I forgot to say, they are stunning. You are a lucky girl, Simona.

 

But an annoyance to whoever replaced the original ear wires! How much would you bet these were screw-backs and someone took the orignal findings off?

 

nice find....they are really sweet !

next time u r ready to do the hot pin test....
1st stick it .....red hot...... under your left hand thumb nail......
and then.....think.....why would I want to do this to anything else ????

..............

 

Thank you for sharing this information, I have tested them last night with UV light, oh my God, so beautiful, the most amazing fluorescent green, I could not believe it.
The UV test was not metioned anywhere on the websites I read.
I buy jewllery to learn, touch, smell Some I keep, the ones that could break easily I resell, my kids find their way to find and play with them, sometimes breack them (Amy don't read this )
Thank you again to everyone.
I will try to find the time to take a photo of them in UV light.
Xx

 

Shall I give you an address to send them too, so your kids can't break them?

I had my hands over my eyes.

 

Yes please
I actually would like to talk to you, but I don't know how to start a private conversation here. Could you pin me in a private conversation please.
Thank you