Cuttlebone

Description

The crushed bone of a cuttlefish which is a mollusk of the family Sepiidae. Cuttlebone is calcareous mixture used primarily as a jewelry polish. Pieces of cuttlebone have also been imprinted with a pattern then used as small molds for making jewelry.

Synonyms and Related Terms

cuttlefish bone

Hazards and Safety

Moderately toxic by inhalation.

Authority

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 5

• Michael McCann, Artist Beware, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York City, 1979

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

• Jack Odgen, Jewellery of the Ancient World, Rizzoli International Publications Inc., New York City, 1982