Where Does Ivory Come From?
In strict terms, true ivory comes from the tusks of elephants. This includes both African and Asian species and their prehistoric ancestor, the mammoth. Tusks and teeth from walrus, hippopotamus, boar, and whales (sperm, killer and narwhal) are commonly referred to as ivory, but some do not consider these true ivories. Generally speaking, however, ivory refers to the tusks or large teeth of these mammals. There is an imitation ivory manufactured from cellulose nitrate or casein (a plastic made from milk). Faux ivory was commonly used in the late nineteenth century, and had many names such as “Genuine French Ivory,” “Ivorine” or “Indian Ivory.” There is even a vegetable ivory made from the inner seeds of the South American Tagua palm tree. MFMHS Conservator, Monica Brook cleans coral concretions off an ivory tusk found at the Henrietta Marie. WHAT IS IVORY? Ivory tusks and teeth consist of an inner pulp cavity surrounded by dentine. Dentine is a combination of mineralized connective tis
People tend to associate Ivory with elephant tusks but this is only one source of the material used in jewellery manufacture. Ivory comes from a variety of sources that include: Elephants This category includes ivory from both Indian and African elephants, as well as ivory from mammoths and mastodon. The tusks, or upper incisors, of these animals are used and they can have a cross section of up to 20cm (8″), and be up to 2.5m (almost 3 yards) long. They are oval in cross section, and are made up of a hard, dense tissue called dentin, which is 70% inorganic material, and 30% collagen. Unlike human teeth, elephant tusks do not have an enamel coating. They do however have a cementum layer, which ivory dealers refer to as the “bark” or the “rind”. Occasionally this layer is retained on a piece of worked ivory. One-third to one-half of an elephant tusk is hollow. Hippopotamus This is the second most commonly used ivory, after elephant ivory. Often used for flat items, such as buttons and in
Ivory comes from the tusks of elephants and from mastadons and mammoths, ancient ancestors of our modern-day elephant. Mastadons lived until the end of the last Ice Age, about 8,000 years ago. Many mammoths lived in Siberia, and for a long time, most of the ivory came from there. Men dug up the skeletons of long-dead mammoths pr
