Ivory is a hard, white, opaque substance that comes from the tusks of animals such as the Elephant, Hippopotamus, Sperm Whale, Walrus, and Warthog. Humans have carved ornamental ivory since prehistoric times. An Ivory figurine of the Pharaoh Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid at Giza, is a notable masterpiece in the art of ivory carving. Scrimshaw carving is an indigenous American craft that involves the etching of finely detailed drawings onto ivory or whale bone.
Due to the rapid decline in the populations of animals that produce ivory, and the cruelty involved in the practices of ivory poachers, the importation and sale of ivory in many countries has been banned or severely restricted.
Fossilized Ivory
Fossilized ivory (aka ancient ivory) from the tusks of woolly mammoth and mastodon, or walrus penile bone can be anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000+ years old. The main benefit of fossilized ivory over 'fresh ivory' (aka white ivory) is that it does not carry the stigma or restrictions of ivory obtained from the killing or maiming of animals by ivory poachers.
Fossilized ivory is not fully mineralized like prehistoric dinosaur bone, although some minerals have been absorbed into the ivory material from the surrounding soil. Fossilized ivory is in full compliance with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and artists like contemporary jewelry designer Carolyn Morris Bach (three photos below, left) use only fossilized ivory in their jewelry creations.
There are synthetic ivory materials made from ivory-colored milk glass (above, right), celluloid, and colored thermalplastic, which can be used as a substitute in jewelry, although these materials do not have the texture, richness, and color variance of natural ivory.
Ivory is a soft material with a hardness of 2.5 to 3 on the Mohs scale. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals is the same regardless of the species of origin. Tusks have the same physical structures as human teeth: a pulp cavity, dentine, cementum and enamel. Dentine, which is the main component of carved ivory, forms a thick layer around the central pulp cavity and comprises the bulk of the tooth and tusk. Dentine is a mineralized connective tissue with an organic matrix of collagenous proteins. Ivory has a greasy to dull luster.
Chemical composition: Dentine, Cementum, Enamel
Semi-Precious Stones