GEC elephant ivory.

meako

meako

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I was drooling at the GEC website and noticed they have
121211-elephant-ivory.png

Elephant ivory.
Surprised as this is a bit non PC nowadays isn't it?Not saying I don't like it -
just wondering where they source this material-
thinking maybe zoo or circus elephants that have had dental work done on their tusks.
Where else would you get it?
Probably expensive too -
cheers.
 
I love that stuff - pity it comes off elephants - I quite like them too

I have two ivory knives, French ones, but I don't think I'll get another ..... a nice single blade #23 would be something though, eh? :)
 
I'd buy something like that if it was ivory micarta, really digging the synthetics that look like natural ivory...pre-ban is still something I don't want in my collection (even if it had T.Bose stamped on it). Are GEC using mammoth ivory? thats something I'd be real keen on.
 
If the picture is accurate, it's not particularly nice ivory. More of a cream color with some grain visible is far more attractive. Ivory will chip or crack more easily than bone and this is a significant downside.
I have quite a few ivory handled knives, both vintage and modern customs. I don't think it's worth buying an ivory handled knife unless the ivory is more attractive and 'warmer' than the plain white 'stuff'.
roland
 
No idea where that ivory comes from...none of my elephant friends had dental problems lately... :D but I have to agree with Roland.
If it's going to be that plain (as the one shown in the pic) it might as well be ivory micarta (or rather, white micarta), since the beauty of ivory, to me, lies in the texture and tone of colour, and this one looks a bit too plain to me.
Not that it looks bad, but if I were to pay an "extra" for having an ivory handled knife, I'd prefer a more "creamy" material.

Fausto
:cool:
 
Ivory is beautiful, but I have purged all elephant ivory from my collection. I just can't in good conscience have it around.
Fortunately they make some very nice synthetic materials that can imitate ivory quite nicely.
 
rprocter said:
If the picture is accurate, it's not particularly nice ivory. More of a cream color with some grain visible is far more attractive. Ivory will chip or crack more easily than bone and this is a significant downside.
I have quite a few ivory handled knives, both vintage and modern customs. I don't think it's worth buying an ivory handled knife unless the ivory is more attractive and 'warmer' than the plain white 'stuff'.
roland
Click to expand...

I agree, but does the white ivory patina, or yellow a little with time?
 
Ivory will darken sometimes to almost a sunset orange from frequent handling. I've read that this is from the natural oil on our skin, i.e. sebum. I think this occurs to better effect if the ivory has some grain and color to begin with.
roland
 
Hi guys!

Ok, the knife is nice. But just the pattern, I mean. It would be better having it sold in ivory-micarta or something like that. I, personally, can´t agree killing elephants or walruss for handles of a knife. Just like Mother-Of-Pearl... I prefer stag handles or bone handles, theese animals are mostly not in danger of dying-out completely... But it´s good to hear, that no new ivory can be sold.
Just my thought...

Kind regards
Andi
 
I belong to the "the fur looks better on the leopard than on a woman who would probably look just as good in a shower curtain" school.
Thanks Roland for those interesting facts on the properties of ivory-I always thought the reason it got used was because it was tough stuff.
We live & learn.
IS The GEC stuff actual real ivory off an elephant then??
 
From what I have read, it is real ivory. I also read that there are supposed to be only 12 Powderhorns made with it. For the price point, and given the very limited numbers, it seems like it would be more of a collectible than a user.
 
only 12 ! I imagined it would be a limited run . I suppose there simply isn't a lot of ivory available .So very collectible & probably exy by the sound of it.
I'll just have to get 2 normal ones then.
 
Post #703 towards the top of this page shows the finest ivory i've seen on a knife: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...-Sheffield-quot-1830-1930-A-golden-age/page36
But, it is not easy to photograph. Mine is even better in person. So, the GEC one might also be more attractive ivory than the picture shows. Somebody has to buy one and post good pics with comments.
No elephants should be being killed. Supposedly all ivory available was harvested before 1990 (?). Likely there still is poaching for the blackmarket but i doubt that's GEC's source.
roland
 
The tusk that GEC is using was from an estate, and was "collected" before WWI. I used to own it.
I would never use modern ivory, nor would GEC. It is better as knife handles than as some trophy celebrating the killing of elephants. It was in fact a beautiful tusk, but I just couldn't mount it for display. On the other hand, I see it as no different than wearing leather shoes, to use it to handle a knife, given the elephant has gone to Elephant heaven almost 100 years ago.
The carbon footprint of that tusk is far, far less than modern plastic imitation handles, BTW!
And it does age nicely, albeit slowly.
 
Good info, Waynorth. I also have no qualms about ivory but I'm sure it is out of my price range!
 
waynorth said:
The tusk that GEC is using was from an estate, and was "collected" before WWI. I used to own it.
I would never use modern ivory, nor would GEC. It is better as knife handles than as some trophy celebrating the killing of elephants. It was in fact a beautiful tusk, but I just couldn't mount it for display. On the other hand, I see it as no different than wearing leather shoes, to use it to handle a knife, given the elephant has gone to Elephant heaven almost 100 years ago.
The carbon footprint of that tusk is far, far less than modern plastic imitation handles, BTW!
And it does age nicely, albeit slowly.
Click to expand...

I'm glad it went to a good use, and the source was a surprise to me. I had assumed it was from the wisdom tusks - the extra ones that elephants normally have removed so that they don't cause problems later on, much the same people have their wisdom teeth removed. The only caveat on making sure the source is legitimate is that you would want to buy from a licensed eledontist.
 
Bone from animals, Fossilized tusks, abalone from dead sea creatures. It's all beautiful material to use for knives and what have you, as long as it was "already dead to begin with." I love ivory on my knives, as long as it's the ancient stuff.
 
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