The piece shown here has tortoise shell ground
with inlaid brass. Over time the adhesive that was
used has become weak, and seasonal changes
have caused the brass to lift and loosen in many
places.

TREATMENT

Each piece of brass was cleaned of old adhesive,
polished and reapplied. Missing pieces were
replaced with new brass of matching gauge and
tone. Once the structural damage had been
restored, a shellac finish was applied to protect
the piece and to enhance and deepen the color.