Farmed Turtle Shell Picks

Once upon a time, players sought after picks made of tortoiseshell harvested from the endangered hawksbill turtle. These picks are no longer available for purchase.

Since then, many pick makers have tried to capitalize on the legend of tortoiseshell by claiming to have produced the ultimate tortoiseshell replacement. (For example, Dunlop Tortex essentially makes this claim in its name.)

Some even tried to use the shell of other turtles, such as this pick made from the shell of a red-eared slider turtle. It is, after all, made of keratin. Same stuff as tortoiseshell. However, this material is simply unsuitable for a guitar pick. It is rough, mottled and porous. Its surface texture is nowhere near the same league as the glassy smoothness of a tortoiseshell pick. It's far worse than most plastic picks.

Cool novelty, but save yourself some time and skip it.