Vigo County Historical Society

Fish scales create unique ornamentation

This bouquet made of fish scales is a most unique piece of decoration for wearing apparel.

When I first discovered this treasure in the needlework case on the second floor of the Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, I wanted to write about it. It makes my imagination work overtime.

Who thought about making a bouquet of leaves, flowers and buds out of fish scales? Who took the time to carefully scrape the scales off the fish? Who knew how to preserve them for this purpose? What tool was used, and from what fish did these scales come?

I had many more questions, but after months of research most of them still are unanswered. It seems that the subject of fish scales isn’t a popular one. Even my father, a retiring superintendent of a state fish hatchery in Nebraska, had no information on the uses of fish scales after the fish was through with them.

Many times during my childhood, my sister and I went fishing with my Grandpa Tom. I remember that my favorite thing to eat was the delicious bluegill he caught and Grandma Ballard cooked for our supper the same day.

I didn’t realize just how good Grandpa was at cleaning the fish until my son got old enough to go fishing and cleaned his prize catch for me to cook. Scales flew everywhere. The got into his hair and all over his clothes. Worst of all were the ones he didn’t get and I missed while getting the fish ready to cook.

What I did find out during my research was that fish scales are the protective covering for most jawed fish. There are four kinds of scales. One is the ctenoid. These scales are circular in form, and have tiny comb-like points on the surface. Bass and perch have these scales. They make the fish feel rough to the touch.

Another kind is the cycloid found on salmon and carp. These scales have a smooth surface and are nearly circular in shape.

On the skin of more primitive, bony fish such as gar or bichir are the thick, heavy scales called ganoid. They don’t overlap like the first two types, but fit together in a mosaic-type pattern on the skin’s surface.

The last kind of scales are the placiod found on sharks and most rays. These resemble tiny, closely-spaced teeth.

Until I found this bouquet, I only knew that fish scales are used in fertilizer made from the ground by-products from a fish-processing plant. I since have learned that in the cosmetic industry, ground fish scales are used in some face powders to give a translucent glow.

At first glance, the bouquet’s colors give the impression that it is made of thin pieces of ivory. Upon closer inspection, however, it is evident that each fish scale was cut and carved to resemble flowers, leaves and buds. They are connected with fine gold wire and shaped into a bouquet.

This fine piece of decorative art was donated to the museum by Anna Jane Libbert.