Why is ivory so popular, and how do you know it's age?

If the politics can't manage to stay out of this thread I'll close it.
 
Elephant ivory is my favorite handle material. Perhaps this is because my grandfather collected carved ivory figures which he purchased in London, mostly pre WW I. My father inherited these and would bring them out for me to examine from time to time since i was a young boy. These ivories are now with me as my father died many years ago. I think my nearly 70 years of exposure to elephant ivory accounts for why i enjoy it as a knife handle material.
I have many ivory handled knives, mostly vintage Sheffield but also some recent GEC and recent Customs. A good source for old ivory is vintage British tableware. I have sometimes picked up 6 ivory handled table knives for as little as $10 (plus shipping) on ebay. However there are vintage ivory substitutes that can be difficult to tell from real ivory, especially in pictures.
And, ivory is difficult to fully capture in pictures. It nearly always looks better in person unless someone like Coop is the photographer.
kj
 
draggat said:
Which effectively makes it worthless.
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That's the entire point regarding legit/legal monetary value.

Regarding worth or worthlessness, do you want the ivory or do you want to sell it? There's more to value than what something sells for.
 
leghog said:
Regarding worth or worthlessness, do you want the ivory or do you want to sell it? There's more to value than what something sells for.
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If you want something with ivory, how will you get it if it can't be sold? Not everyone is lucky enough to inherit the stuff.
 
Gear Geeks live was talking about the Northwoods line, and Tony stated that another company was using warthog ivory. I didn't know that that could be stabilized for a knife handle.

Ivory doesn't do anything for me, it looks good, but doesn't get me going. Mammoth bark ivory on the other hand, drives me nuts. I've seen it on one handers and fixed blades mostly, but the few slipjoints I've seen it on were gorgeous. Darker mammoth bark ivory is beautiful. To each their own. White linen micarta, mother of toilet, real ivory. If it is finished nicely, I like it.
 
1) The number one reason I have seen stated for people liking ivory is aesthetics. There are other materials to chose from to get a similar creamy white or white and brown look so I don't believe that's the whole story. Maybe it plays to some primal part of the brain that enjoys holding a chunk of a giant land animal or maybe it's the exclusivity of the material. Ultimately there is no accounting for taste so there is no one answer.

Personally I prefer darker hues so ivory does nothing for me. I'd rather have snakewood, ebony, or buffalo horn to look at. Modern materials make better field knives.

2) Echoing Bob W, it's almost impossible to tell the difference between new ivory and old ivory. Especially when there are those out there actively trying to pass off new ivory as old ivory. :(

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I own a few ivory things, all are heirlooms and part of the family history. I will not be buying anything new as frankly I am a little ashamed of the few ivory pieces I do own.

For example I have a figurine depicting an elephant family marching along in single file. It's carved out of a single piece of elephant ivory and was handed down to me from my great grandparents. The quality is excellent, it has held up over time, and the craftsman probably had to go through a lot of trial and error to get his art down.

Somehow ripping apart a family of elephants, to make a carving of a family of elephants, just does not compute for me. To me that's depressing and obscene. I have have no idea how I'll explain that one to my children. :(
 
kamagong said:
If you want something with ivory, how will you get it if it can't be sold? Not everyone is lucky enough to inherit the stuff.
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Get it now and keep it in the family. Either the item finished in ivory or the ivory blanks for later use. If I wanted it in the future, I'd get it now. Ivory does nothing for me, but if it did that's the choice I'd make. You'll need to make your own.
 
Sorry for my previous political comment. I only have one knife with ivory and it's the only real ivory I own. It's on a modern knife, but it does look pretty nice. I agree with all of the comments about how it feels different and has a very interesting, creamy appearance. If you consider mammoth tooth to be ivory, then I guess I have two. It looks extremely different from elephant ivory though. To me, it doesn't feel any different than regular bone. Even though it is a very nice handle material, it's not something I have sought out. Generally speaking, I am able to find a knife in the same pattern with different covers, that I actually like the looks of more, for half the price. I bet it sounds crazy, but I actually usually prefer acrylic over ivory, bone and wood.

This is off topic, but since we're including elephants here, I have a wallet and a belt loop key holder made of elephant hide. That stuff is nearly indestructible. 4 years and going and they still look new!
 
I use to be an avid billiards player and had a beautiful ivory inlaid pool cue. The beauty with ivory is in that creamy color with its natural grains. It is in the same regard as the grain of a beautiful wooden handle. The color and grain of ivory is unique. That is what makes it appeal to me.
 
Lots of things may not be traded or sold according to regulations....but in reality they are. Apology if that steps the poiltical line.
 
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