Organic Gems: Fossilized Ivory
Ivory Jewelry
Source: Africa, India
Ivory is a hard, white, opaque substance that comes from the tusks of animals such as the Elephant, Hippopotamus, Sperm Whale, Walrus, and Warthog. 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.
Due to the rapid decline in the populations of animals that produce ivory, and the cruelty involved in the practices of ivory poachers, the importation and sale of ivory in many countries has been banned or severely restricted over the last decade (see "Recent Developments in the Trade of Ivory" below). This has necessitated the discovery of sources for the recovery of fossilized ivory, which obviously does not involve the killing of animals.
Fossilized Ivory
Fossilized ivory (aka ancient ivory) from the tusks of woolly mammoth and mastodon, or walrus penile bone can be anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000+ years old. The main benefit of fossilized ivory over 'fresh ivory' (aka white ivory) is that it does not carry the stigma or restrictions of ivory obtained from the killing or maiming of animals by ivory poachers.
Fossilized ivory is not fully mineralized like prehistoric dinosaur bone, although some minerals have been absorbed into the ivory material from the surrounding soil. Fossilized ivory is in full compliance with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and artists like contemporary jewelry designer Carolyn Morris Bach (three photos below, left) use only fossilized ivory in their jewelry creations.
There are synthetic ivory materials made from ivory-colored milk glass (above, right), celluloid, and colored thermalplastic, which can be used as a substitute in jewelry, although these materials do not have the texture, richness, and color variance of natural ivory.
Ivory is a very soft material for jewelry. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals is the same regardless of the species of origin. Tusks have the same physical structures as human teeth: a pulp cavity, dentine, cementum and enamel. Dentine, which is the main component of carved ivory, forms a thick layer around the central pulp cavity and comprises the bulk of the tooth and tusk. Dentine is a mineralized connective tissue with an organic matrix of collagenous proteins.
The Art of Scrimshaw
Being a relatively soft, and light colored material, ivory is a perfect canvas for intricate carving. Scrimshaw carving is an indigenous North American and/or Siberian craft where the scrimshaw artist, or scrimshander, etches a finely detailed drawing onto the surface of ivory and walrus tusks or whale bone. Scrimshaw dates back 10,000 years, when now extinct wooly mammoth tusks were used in the art-form.
Fossilized Ivory Properties
Recent Developments in the Trade of Ivory
According to a recent report by 60 Minutes correspondent Bob Simon, the sale of ivory has been legalized for the first time in ten years, and several African countries have been given the right to sell their stockpiles of more than 100 tons of tusks to China and Japan [6].
This has caused a rapid increase in the price of illegal ivory, and a corresponding increase in illegal poaching. The price within Africa has gone from 300 shillings per kilo to 5,000, which translates to around $1,000 for a single tusk in Kenya.
Needless to say, these developments will certainly bring about an increase in the sale of ivory (legal and illegal) jewelry that is imported from Asia, and a corresponding increase in the killing of wild African elephants. Buyer beware!
Bibliography and Reference on Ivory
1. Paul R. Shaffer, Rocks, Gems and Minerals  . Martin's Press
2. TED, Elephant Ivory Trade Ban . www.american.edu
3. M. Springate, Identifying Different Types of Ivory . www.uniclectica.com
4. R. Weiss, The Art of Scrimshaw . www.marinearts.com
5. NMGCS, National Milk Glass Collectors Association . www.nmgcs.org
6. CBS 60 Minutes, Poachers Leaving Elephant Orphans . www.cbsnews.com
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