Elk Ivory
Ivory
Ivory is one of the most well known materials that are used in high quality precious jewelry. It should be noted that Ivory is not a gemstone or a mineral from rock, it is an organic mineral created by certain mammals with specific types of characteristics.
Basically, Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing.
Elephant ivory has been the most important source, but ivory from many species including the hippopotamus, walrus, mammoth and narwhal has been used.
Ivory usually comes in two colors, white and whitish yellow, many people usually call it off white. The whiter the Ivory, usually the higher the price, usually Ivory can turn a tinge of yellow if it is an older piece, but for the most part, it is extremely exquisite and beautiful.
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.
The quality of Ivory is very malleable in contrast to gemstones that are usually rigid surfaced. The size of Ivory depends upon the size of the animal.
Ivory has been banned since 1989 to save the mammals that were literally killed to obtain their beautiful tusks. Factual information is there that in 40 years, 97% of the 300,000 elephants found in certain African countries were butchered to obtain the Ivory, and this practice would make the species extinct. After the ban, Ivory has become rare as now only after the natural death of the animal, ivory can be obtained, so today there are plastic substitutes of Ivory available in the market that look equally exquisite and beautiful like the original material.