Tortoiseshell is a beautiful natural material that comes from the shell of the hawksbill sea turtle (not actually a tortoise, despite the name). For centuries, people prized tortoiseshell for making combs, jewelry boxes, eyeglass frames, and decorative items because of its warm, translucent brown and amber colors with darker mottled patterns.

The material could be heated and molded into different shapes, then polished to a glossy finish. Craftspeople created intricate inlays and elegant objects that wealthy people displayed in their homes. However, hunting hawksbill turtles for their shells pushed them toward extinction, and today it's illegal in most countries to buy, sell, or trade real tortoiseshell.

The word also describes the distinctive pattern itself: mottled patches of brown, black, amber, and orange blended together. You'll see this pattern in other contexts, like tortoiseshell cats, which have this same beautiful mix of colors in their fur. Modern eyeglass frames often come in tortoiseshell patterns, though they're made from plastic that imitates the look of the original material. The pattern remains popular because it's both elegant and natural-looking, a reminder of the beauty that inspired craftspeople for centuries.