64 mammoth tusks

Marcel54

Marcel54

Joined
Jul 30, 2005
Messages
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Just read today that in St. Petersburg (Russia) 64 mammoth tusks were confiscated by the Russian police. Although it is not illegal to export them for some reason or other they were impounded by the police. Probably to sell them off for themselves;)

64 tusks that's a lot of scales or handles:D:D

Marcel
 
It was explained to me by a man who just returned from Russia last summer that the collection and distribution network has completely fallen apart in Russia for whatever reasons not told to me. He said that the export of mammoth will become very difficult in the near future and that he will not even attempt to buy again. I don't know if the government is at it similarily to the Indian government with the stag distribution but it is so corrupt that people involved just quit. Sad for the knifemakers as it will just become more pricey as is stag now with the last distribution about 5-6 years ago. Ughhh.
 
That’s a funny dog story.
People try to export the ivory without the proper paperwork, read that greasing the right palms if you want to. Every step of the way there is another permit and fee. Some call them bribes or extortion. I wonder if they were headed to the Tucson Gem and mineral show, though most Siberian ivory is going to China right now.
 
I'm not sure the comparison with India sambar is quite a parallel. Well I guess it is as far as our experience goes as consumers, but it's not the same as far as the sourcing goes. The stag has to be harvested from living animals.
 
Phil Dwyer said:
I'm not sure the comparison with India sambar is quite a parallel. Well I guess it is as far as our experience goes as consumers, but it's not the same as far as the sourcing goes. The stag has to be harvested from living animals.
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The stag is found on the ground in India, as shed antlers. The natives were burning huge tracks of grass land to find the sheds and their government put a stop to it.
 
Don Hanson III said:
The stag is found on the ground in India, as shed antlers. The natives were burning huge tracks of grass land to find the sheds and their government put a stop to it.
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Once scientists clone the Wooly Mammoth, I can see Don burning the hollows out in the Ozark Hills. :p :D

- Joe
 
Like the saying goes, "they ain't making any more of it".

Will be interesting to see the quality and quantify at Blade Show this year.
 
Well..good luck getting green, blue, black and various shades of brown out of the newborn mammoths.....that will take another 10-20,000 years!!
 
John L said:
Well..good luck getting green, blue, black and various shades of brown out of the newborn mammoths.....that will take another 10-20,000 years!!
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Unless it takes the path of giraffe bone. ;)
I wonder if anyone has ever dyed ancient walrus/mammoth/mastodon ivory to get maximum desired effect? I've always assumed ivory knife handles were their natural colors from being exposed to the earth for tens of thousands of years.
 
Kevin Jones said:
Unless it takes the path of giraffe bone. ;)
I wonder if anyone has ever dyed ancient walrus/mammoth/mastodon ivory to get maximum desired effect? I've always assumed ivory knife handles were their natural colors from being exposed to the earth for tens of thousands of years.
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We call those guys unscrupulous.
 
I ran across some mammoth that I would have sworn had been dyed - it was the most magical color of blue, though looking close to black on the outside. It was natural, though.

Later, I went back and it was gone - some guy named Hanson probably got it!

Best,

Bob
 
Mark Knapp said:
We call those guys unscrupulous.
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I agree 100%, however we see stag and giraffe bone dyed every day. Actually, most custom stag and giraffe handles are probably dyed to some extent.
I would hope everyone realizes the morale difference between commercially dying stag/giraffe and ivory, since the value of ivory is very closer (along with other factors) associated with it's natural color.

I was wondering if the guys who really know ivory and deal in it everyday (such as yourself) have ever had doubts as to the natural color of the ultra-ultra premium ivory? Or in other words, wondered it this is just too good to be true?

Sorry Marcel if I have varied to far from your original intent of this thread.
 
There is no way to get the super blue colors on mammoth ivory with dye.
The few times I've seen dyed mammoth, it looked bad.

It is so cool to take a piece of rough mammoth, with mud still on it,
grind into the bark a bit and see Royal Blue. :D
 
Kevin Jones said:
I agree 100%, however we see stag and giraffe bone dyed every day. Actually, most custom stag and giraffe handles are probably dyed to some extent.
I would hope everyone realizes the morale difference between commercially dying stag/giraffe and ivory, since the value of ivory is very closer (along with other factors) associated with it's natural color.

I was wondering if the guys who really know ivory and deal in it everyday (such as yourself) have ever had doubts as to the natural color of the ultra-ultra premium ivory? Or in other words, wondered it this is just too good to be true?

Sorry Marcel if I have varied to far from your original intent of this thread.
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There are some that are dyeing it, or have dyed it, and as long as it is not passed off as natural, maybe that's not as bad, as long as you are not doing it to make illegal stuff look legal. I can usually tell right away. It's sometimes done to make fresh walrus appear to be old. Sometimes people boil it in coffee or tea to stain it too. We can tell :D. Sorry to put in a shameless plug... buy from a reputable dealer. There was a guy staining mammoth tooth blue and claiming it was natural, he openly does it now.
 
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