The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts recently acquired a diminutive, ivory-clad drop front secretary that exemplifies the 18th century international luxury trade between India and America in the 18th century. Made in Vizagapatam, a coastal station in southeastern India, the diminutive secretary is part of a group of furniture made by craftsmen there in the 18th century specifically for the western market. The use of ivory as a veneer, black lac within incised patterns drawn from chintz textiles, and the derivation from an 18th century English furniture form make this one object a perfect example on which to study exotic materials, innovative decoration, and the history of cultural exchange. This secretary has an impeccable provenance that can be traced to its initial arrival in the United States in the 1780s on a ship belonging to a prominent Philadelphia merchant. The ivory-clad secretary was purchased by the Museum prior to the usual restoration many such items go through before coming on the American market. The current condition, including some water damage to the carcass, lifting and cracking veneer, detached moldings, and old, crude attempts at faux ivory, might look to the casual observer to be an eyesore, but to a conservator, it is a jewel: an enviable opportunity to study untouched surfaces and explore construction methods and exotic materials centuries old. The technical research and conservation treatment for this object will be discussed along with much of the information about its construction discovered during this process.