Uses for Turtle Scutes

Currently, turtle scutes are a cool item with a cute but tedious way to gather them. I propose that if the scutes had more uses, it would incentivise players to interact with the mechanics of eggs and baby turtles more.

For example:

• Used to make other armour which matches the turtle shell helmet, such as a turtle shell backplate/chestplate. I'm not sure of its properties, but a turtle shell wearable would make for some great player/avatar customisation.
• Used to make flippers which help with underwater speed or manuverability. 
• Used to make a turtle shell block for use in underwater builds/bases and preventing players from having to cage live turtles for purely aesthetic purposes. This would fit with the Nautlius drop's focus on underwater survival/building
• Used to make turtle scute armour for Nautlius as an underwater mob, adding a new armour colour

Equally, changes to the turtle shell helmet itself could encourage players to spend the time gathering scutes. For example:

• The helmet could be resistant to mace attacks, either permanently, or by breaking instead of the player taking any damage. As Mojang has been improving combat in their new drops, I think that a little armour improvement like this fits. It'd also help relax players (like myself) who hate the idea of being hit by a mace unexpectedly on survival servers. 
• The helmet could also be resistant (permanently or by taking damage/breaking) to falling objects such as anvils and dripstone.