How to ID Ivory versa Bone or Man Made substance.

This mystery has been shielded  from the general public for centuries. We ebay sellers and buyers need to have at least  the very basic knowledge a foundation of understanding of this beautiful substance. Hard yet like butter in the hands of the engraver or scrimshander. Many people are very knowledgable yet this article may interest them also.

My qualifications as a retired Scrimshander of the 1960-70's has given me 35 years of handling Ivory from the pre ban era to the present time. Whether it was legal  Ivory before the 'CITES' act of the late 1970's to the present day with Vintage Ivory and Bone items collected recently.

One of the top priorities to identifying ivory or bone V polymer or other earlier fuax ivory/bone is to handle as many items as possible, feel and learn the differences between them. Hold an item in your hand or put it to your cheek, tap it with your finger nail or your teeth, learn the difference, find the difference.

If there are 2 pieces in question hold one in each hand and concentrate on any differences you detect. If one appears to be Ivory at a glance but lacks the 'butter like texture and warmth of true Ivory look closely for the signs of bone. Many items of Bone are soaked in a staining agent then highly polished to give the 'Butter' like finish of true Ivory. Check the back of the object for the signs of Bone marrow.

Vintage Ivory no matter the originating source such as Elephant, Walrus, Hippo or Whale etc usually appear with a patina one of the signs of ageing. This Patina can range from light golden to deeper browns obtained from the oils of handling. To complicate the ID process many Antique Bone items if handled will also retain these oils to give a simular golden patina.

 With the many faux or polymer Ivory teeth, tusk's , ornaments and jewelry flooding the market it is a challenge to identify an item correctly. Avoid being in a hurry. Most polymer has a grayish hue, feels cold, hard or dense. If possible view the base or end of the object and insist on seeing the 'finish'. It may be obscured by wood, paint or something else. Faux ivory or bone will lack the growth pattern of lines in Ivory or the marrow development in Bone seen as "Flecks' like little notches throughout  the Bone.

The famous 'Hot Pin' test will determine one important factor whether the item is of animal origin or man made. To test, heat a pin or needle 'red hot' and push into the material in an inconspicuous place. If it melts and sinks into the material it is faux ivory or bone. If there is no mark and no melting it is of animal origin.

Ivory....Examine the item under a magnifying glass or jewelers 'loupe' and determine whether the lines  are uniform and straight as in Faux Ivory or appear  a mix of straight and swirling  areas representing  the true growth pattern of ( external ) Ivory such as tusks. The pattern of growth in teeth such as Hippo will lack the lines but whale teeth will exhibit the growth pattern.

Bone..... examine bone closely as there are different types of bone which will determine the value of the object. Whale bone is very collectable and has a warmth to the touch. Camel bone that is flooding the market from foreign countries lacks the warmth of ivory and whale bone.  The value of this bone is a fraction of  Whale Bone. All bone has the tale tell 'Flecks' of marrow ( tiny notches ) in it. Depending on the area of the actual bone used in the creation of the object there will be more or less 'flecks observed. Even a minimum amount of 'flecks' found  in an object still determines an identity of bone.

Color is important when making a positive ID.... Many objects may not not have been used and possible kept in a box for years. These items will not have the patina of age. There may be Ivory and Bone that is still white and new in appearance yet it is pre-ban. Bone in general is not prohibited but Whale Bone must be vintage and preban. Scrimshaw carvings by Whalers of the late 1880's are usually carved from Whale Bone and very collectable. These items will have the 'flecks' of bone present and a patina of age. Examples of Scrimshaw Carving are... needles, Crochet Hooks, shuttles, walking canes and box's etc.

Whales Teeth are Scrimshawed with drawings of vintage whale hunts and tall ships, etc.These teeth or tusks are usually not carved in the true sense of the word. Sewing implements and box's were usually carved and often had some scrimshaw drawing incorporated into the object.