Ivory Buttons

[lestodd4k62]

Just looked at Carol's photo album at the gorgeous ivory iris. How do you tell if a button is Ivory? Is there a way a novice can tell? Thanks. Kathy lestodd@aol.com

[svengali]

Hi Kathy: Ivory is equivalent to tooth enamel and should be clean and clear of inclusions you would find with the most commonly mistaken bone material. Bone will have spots and flecks which should not be present on ivory. Some ivory may be slightly pitted and collect discoloration or soil in the pits but that should not be mistaken for interior flecking. Certain types of ivory will have a distinctive crosshatch pattern you can often see somewhere on the piece. Don't mistake synthetic materials for ivory such as "ivorine" (or "French") celluloid which is simply textured to look like ivory or tagua nut (vegetable ivory) which has been used for many years as an ivory substitute by netsuke carvers, it can have a grain but not the crosshatching you should see with real ivory. Using a magnifier is the best way to tell between ivory and other materials. -Carol C-

[antlercarv]

Regarding the crosshatching, they are called schrager lines, and will only be visible when viewing the ivory from a "cross-cut" that is to say, the same direction that you would see rings in a tree branch. Some high-quality bone will be super clean, without inclusions or dark blemishes, but will not have Schraeger lines. However, some Ivory, from certain parts of the tusk, will also not have schraeger lines. I once saw a piece of material that a customer asked me to ID, that I could not say what material it was. Click on my about me link above, and go to the link marked ivory descriptions and laws. You will see examples of schraeger lines, and other info on IDing bone, and other ivory-like substances, from the National Forensics lab. If you wanted to send pics, I would be happy to help, if I can. I work with ivory, fossil ivory, antler, bone, and tagua, and have been for many years. I have a quantity of Ivory, but I have no paperwork on it, so I don't think I can sell it on e-bay. It was represented to me as fossil ivory years ago, but I have come to realize that it is actually "Green" Ivory. These materials are tricky, and all of us will be happy to help avoid confusion in the marketplace. Good luck, Todd The Carver