| The basic definition of ivory is the teeth and tusks that | | | | intersectional arches that can be seen when looking |
| are most completely consistent of the material called | | | | down the ivory piece lengthwise. There will be |
| dentine. This is a whitish creamy color of opaque | | | | variations of wavy irregular lines when viewing the |
| material that is mostly calcium phosphate and a little of | | | | ivory down a length direction. |
| collagen. This dentine material is enamel covered, and | | | | There are trickery types of materials that individuals |
| just like our tooth enamel, it will often show more | | | | will try to deserve others as real ivory, and the most |
| wearing off of the enamel overtime. What many do | | | | common material is bone. The bone of animals is |
| not realize about ivory tusks is that they are made of | | | | colored the same, and when they are in smaller |
| the same material as teeth, but they are just larger | | | | versions of so-called artistic handcrafted items, the |
| and protruding outside the mouth instead. This is a | | | | confusion is extremely easy. But the difference is that |
| common confusion for many individuals when trying to | | | | most all bone types of items are hollow in the middle |
| decipher what ivory truly is. | | | | and this is the biggest give away in false ivory |
| Pure ivory does not come from just one specific | | | | handcrafted items. |
| species like the elephant for example, but ivory can | | | | Antler is another form of fake ivory, so there should |
| come from the tusks or teeth of also of walruses, | | | | be knowledge of that antler is actually darker than that |
| various kinds of whales, hippopotamuses, African | | | | of real ivory with a honeycomb center. Plastic is also a |
| elephants, Asian male elephants, wooly mammoth | | | | false replacement for real ivory, but if it is a lighter than |
| remains, and the pig or wild boar or wart hog family of | | | | expected piece of ivory artwork then you can often |
| animals. | | | | assume that there is fakeness such as plastic type of |
| When it comes to being able to recognize the different | | | | material. There have also been fake ivory items made |
| types of ivory, there are different ivory characteristics | | | | from re-constructed powdered bones, but the color |
| to look for. The ivory should have a feeling of silkiness | | | | and weight will often give these types of fake ivory |
| and a high glossy feel. In an example, ivory that is | | | | materials away very quickly to the real ivory collector. |
| cross sections cut the ivory will displays the pattern of | | | | |