Ivory

Ivory nut or vegetable ivory is a tagua nut which is the seed from some varieties of palm trees. It is white to pale yellow in its natural state. Since it resembles animal ivory it has been used as an ivory substitute in carvings, jewelry, buttons, and dice.

Mammoths have been extinct for 10,000 years. The ivory has been well preserved for 20,000 years in the permafrost in Siberia and Alaska. Mammoth ivory has also been called fossil ivory, but the material is not truly a fossil because the organic material has not been replaced with minerals. It can be tan to dark brown, orange, blue to black in color. The brown or blue-green color is caused by staining by the iron phosphate mineral vivianite. This staining will not be found in modern elephant ivory.

Elephant ivory comes from adult African and Asian elephants. The trade in elephant ivory is restricted or prohibited due to the animals endangered or threatened status with CITIES. Elephant tusks were harvested for their use in decorative objects. Demand for ivory dates to the 1st century BC in Asia. Demand for Ivory in Europe and North America hit its peak in the mid 1800’s to the 1930’s. Current trade in the west is restricted by governmental laws and is discouraged by the environmental community.

Walrus tusks and teeth are used in scrimshaw and carved for decorative items by the indigenous peoples of Alaska, Greenland and Russia. Walrus is a protected species in the United States it can only be harvested by Alaskan Natives that use it to create art objects. As of this writing walrus ivory harvested before 1972 can be traded in the United States. As Walrus tusks can grow to 3 feet in length and the teeth are typically under 2 inches.

Hippopotamus Ivory is used for knife handles and decorative objects. The teeth range from 6 inches to a foot from the gum line. Hippopotami are not currently endangered but are a listed species under CITIES. Tanzania and Uganda formally traded in Hippopotamus Ivory, but pressure has been put on these countries to end the trade of the material.

Narwals are small artic whales. The males have a long, spirally twisted tusk that typically grows to 6 feet in length. Whales are a protected species and cannot be sold in the United States. The medieval Europeans thought the tusk was the horn from a unicorn.

Sperm whales have the largest teeth of all the whale species. The teeth range from 2 to 6 inches in length. In the past whalers used their down time to carve whale teeth for scrimshaw art objects and knife handles. All whales are now a protected species and can no longer be hunted.

Warthogs are a variety of pig that come from sub-Saharan Africa. The tusks can reach 20 inches in length. The tusks are used for carvings, scrimshaw, and knife handles.

Wild boar is a member of the pig family that can be found all over the world. The size of the tusk ranges from 5 to 18 inches.