Good Sources of Ivory

It is a known fact that original ivories are the ones that come from the teeth of elephants and teeth and tusks of the wooly mammoth. This doesn’t mean that these are the only sources of such object because this can also be acquired on the tusks and teeth of walrus, such as the Pacific Walrus, which tusks grow up to five centimeters and are elongated. Its teeth come in irregularly round form. This object can also be acquired on the beak of the Helmeted Hornbill.

Such object is a good source of artistic pieces and precious materials. This is why many people, especially the hobbyists and collectors who are getting engaged in collecting anything that is made from such. If you want to start on this, you have to make sure that you only acquire the legal types. It is a fact that hunting elephants for their tusks and teeth has already been banned since the 70s. It is now illegal to buy pieces and things that come from the tusks of the elephants that have been gathered after the ban has been imposed. You need to look for the types that come from ancient elephants or from the extinct wooly mammoth

What About The Color Ivory?

Ivory is a neutral color that appears soft and nice

. It is something that is a combination of white and brown that exudes the feeling of being at peace, simple yet elegant and shiny, but very much still pleasant.

Overall, it is a calming color that will leave people who are looking at it feeling very serene and composed.

This color has the same softness and pureness of white, but this appears to be a bit warmer.

As an element, this comes from the tusks or on the bulk of the teeth of animals such as hippopotamus, narwhal, walrus, mammoth and elephant. The origin of the word meant elephant on the Ancient Egyptian that is why the term originally refers to the materials that come from the tusks of elephants.

Through time, people developed ways to use this object for practical and ornamental purposes.

This was the first material that was used to create certain things before plastic was invented such as for piano keys, billiard balls, buttons, Scottish bagpipes and other ornamental items.

It has a certain feel, especially on the piano keys that many people still look for it than the ones made from plastic substitute.

The ones that come from the tusks of elephants are considered as prized possessions by collectors and hobbyists. This is also hailed as a precious stone and the traditional 14th wedding anniversary gift. It is also favored by some brides. They look for gowns that contain accessories that are made from this material or they want something that has this shade and color.

It may be very useful and there are many things that can be done from this. The same is true when you talk about this as a color. It carries various meanings depending on how it was used and how it appears. The same rule applies as with any other colors. You will feel certain vibes and appeal as you utilize things that carry this color. Not all people may believe these meanings. There are some who do not want to base their luck on color meanings, but you will not lose anything either by opening up your mind to the suggestions on how this can affect your mood and attitude.

A touch of ivory can be used to brighten up or lighten colors such as blue, orange, purple, green and turquoise in dark or medium mode. When paired with light peach, light brown or pale green, this color will give out an earthy tone that is still softer as compared with other natural palettes.

There are certain connotations to words that contain this as the root word. For example, this kind of dome refers to people who appear to be intellectual like teachers. When it refers to the tower, this means refuge or a place of seclusion. This can also be taken in a derogatory manner, like this can refer to a person who has been mentally or physically ill.


Ivory can come in various shades. It can be called off-white, milk white, pearl and opaline.

Thailand's Ivory Art

Popular aesthetic sculptures in Thailand are composed of religious subjects such as the Buddha, various mythological creatures, chess pieces, and bindings for palm-leaf Buddhist scriptures. Notable examples of these were carved in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These were housed in the National Museum in Bangkok. These best pieces were carved by craftsmen from the royal palace or those patronized by powerful families.

They say the quality of Thai ivory carving declined as consumers shifted from royalty and the noble class to tourists and businessmen. A large part of this is due to pressure on meeting higher demand but with small amount of time allotted on every piece.

This was the result of mass production where priority is placed on quantity and not on quality. Before, craftsmen spend months carving a single piece using hand tools. Mass-market electric tool reduced the time, at the same time the attention a carver spends on individual items.

To date, there are about 2,000 domesticated elephants in Thailand. However, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is a worldwide ban on ivory trade. Locally, the government also implemented the “Elephant Law” that protects the specie from near-extinction.

With an extensive international and local pressure to ban ivory sales, livelihoods of around 120 carvers in the country adversely affected. For instance, the shift from ivory to cow bone carving decreased the income of one workshop from an average of $500 a month to $150 a month.

The History of Ivory

A hard, creamy substance that looks like a bone, ivory comes from the teeth of animals such as elephants, walrus, and mammoths. The teeth of most animals, in fact, have ivory.

The teeth, however, is referred to as the dentin. Ivory, on the other hand, refers to the material or the product used in commerce or trading. It is made up of water, organic matter, and calcium phosphate. True ivory, when exposed to abrupt temperature fluctuations, may give in to cracking.

Today, ivory is popular as a material for making billiard balls and piano keys, as well as smaller objects such as jewelry, pins, and buttons. Ivory has long been used for many purposes, dating back on the ancient times. Read on the history of ivory that follows and you will appreciate the importance of this valuable substance.

In the early times, people in Babylonia, Cyprus, Egypt, Crete, and Assyria used ivory to create ornamental objects. Romans and Greeks also used ivory extensively in the prehistoric times.

In the Renaissance period, ivory was a common material for making statuettes, inlay work, caskets, and crucifixes. In the 1600s, ivory started to be traded between countries.

However, the diminishing population of elephants and the discovery of alternatives to ivory (e.g. vegetable ivory, plastic, synthetic ivory, etc.) led to the weakened ivory trade in the middle of the 20th century. That doesn’t stop, though, the high demand for ivory and ivory trades done illegally.

A global ban on ivory trade was implemented in 1990, an action which was intended to thwart the near extinction of elephants and other animals whose tusks are used as sources of ivory.

Ivory's Interesting History

In the early 20th century, the aristocracy and upper classes began using ivory-made materials such as combs and utensil handles. Ivory carved items include containers, sword and knife handles, parts for musical instruments in ceremonial orchestras, official seals, jewelry, dolls, chess pieces, and small howdahs. The National Museum has elaborately carved tusks with Buddhas, Buddha figurines, and other worshipping deities showing how ivory was important in religious items.

The demand for ivory grew among monks in the early 1930s. They ordered rosaries, Buddha amulets, singhas or lions and Thai angels called Nanggwak. These Thai angels were believed to bring customers to a business. The demand began when Buddhist monk Boonrod Lohartrakool carved Buddhas at the request of another monk named Luang Paw Derm.

When Boonrod left the monkhood, he moved to Phayuha Kiri and taught other people to carve.

A decade after, ivory carved figurines of Rama V, revered monks, and other religious subjects became popular. Through trading, it spread across the country. On the same decade, Bangkok fine arts schools opened up courses for ivory carving to meet the economic demand.

All second generation Phayuha Kiri carvers were trained by Boonrod Lohartrakool who died in 1999 and his brother in-law Gong Yangthan.

The development of tourism in 1970s increased the mass production of popular jewelries with elephants, of elephant bridge tusks, lions, dragons, name seals, and cigarette holders. The economic boom in the 1980s led to popularity of Chinese subjects such as Kwan Yin, Laughing Buddha, and Long Life. In the late years of this decade however,
Fine arts schools stopped carving ivory because prices of raw ivory became very expensive and too difficult to acquire because of the CITES ban.

History of Myanmars Ivory Carving

Ivory carving has also flourished in Myanmar like Thailand, a well-known country of elephants. In the 13th century when Marco Polo went to Burma, he described the country as teeming with elephants, rhinos and other wild beasts. But unlike Thailand, there was no evidence that ivory was used either in the north or south of country until the 19th century.

Although elephants were widely used in extracting logs from the forest during the Pagan Kingdom and the Toungoo Dynasty, today’s artifacts and available historical information have not indicated any existence of iron carving during these period.

The British diplomatic mission, whom deployed by the British colonizers in late 19th century, reported an existence of ivory production in two remote tribal areas in Kachin State in the north and mentioned a small paper-knife used to squeeze on ceremonial headdresses and tuck away hair.


The earliest dated item made from ivory was an ivory chair crafted for King Thibaw in 1878. Today, it is housed in the National Museum collections in Yangon. Historians estimate the beginning of ivory carving in the 1860s in the court of Kind Mindon with U Oh, Uhmyin, and U Maun.

They were the only known ivory craftsmen in Mandalay. Oral histories mentioned the name U Saya Ohn too as a famous carver in Rangoon, also around the 1860s. He is known as the trainer of first generation ivory carvers and the master of the three best carvers in Mandalay.

In Burmese language, ivory carving is called “sinswe pan pu.” Pan pu refers to wood carving, which is one of the pan sai myo or “ten arts.” Historians approximate that ivory carving in Lower Burma was inspired by British colonizers and Indian traders. Meanwhile, ivory carving in Upper Burma flourished in the Court of Ava in the same decade. However, there was no collection having refined carving skills.

Ivory carving in Burma is associated with nobility and Buddhist church. In 1885 when Konbaung Dynasty ended, Mandalay’s royal patronage also ended. Ivory carvings are made mainly for the British and Indians immigrants.

Ivory carving workshops were established in Moulmein (Mawlamyine) and Pyinmana in the south in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. But the Burmese ivory craftsmanship during this era was not highly praised and was not flourishing.
When Japan invaded Burma at the end of 1941, it developed the ivory industry. During the Japanese colonization, there were around 56 ivory craftsmen in eight businesses in Mandalay. The Japanese soldiers were consumers of ivory chopsticks, combs, cigarette holders and cases. The Buddha figurine, which survives from 1942, showed the diversity of ivory carvers from jewelry to utilitarian materials, religious items, and decorations.
Even when the Japanese lost political power in Burma when World War II ended, ivory carving has continued in the country. Many ivory carvers passed down the tradition to their next generation. In the early 1970s when ivory-made materials became globally popular, the Burmese government brought tour groups to the country. But this did not benefit Tin Aung, a known ivory businessman.
When tourists started coming to the country, Tin Aung opened a second ivory shop in his expanded home and employed 17 carvers. As the ivory industry continued to flourish in the 1980s, competition of ivory businesses began and Tin Aung’s carvers went down to 7. In 1988, he closed down his two shops after the riots. He reopened his shop in 1990 and when he died a year after, no one carried on his business.
U Win Maung became one of the best and most successful ivory carvers in Myanmar. He was a specialist in human figurine carving and in staining to "antique" a piece. Then, he trained U Ba Pe who later became skilled carver and businessman in Yangoon. Today, there are only about seven ivory carvers left in Yangon. Others retired and some shifted to wood or moved to Mandalay. This is because acquiring raw ivory is too difficult to sustain ivory carvers. Most of the tusks in Myanmar are sold to Mandalay, Thailand or China.

How To Collect Ivory

If you are interested in collecting ivory, you have to make sure that you are very aware of the law that comes with this kind of hobby. You wouldn’t want to get into trouble just because you have started on something that can make you happy and something that you really adore. You have to take note that there is a ban that prohibits the collection of elephant tusks where such object comes from.

Legal Collection
The most common kind of this object that can be legally collected are the ones that come from older elephant tusks or from the mammoths that are considered extinct for quite a long time already.

You can still find lots of hobbyists with ivories that came from the mammoths, but no one is really sure if the collection’s fate will soon follow the road that its source led and that is to extinction.

Many people consider this object a beautiful artistic piece. Its collection began many centuries ago, while people were also learning to carve it to create various masterpieces to please their artistic eyes.

Such object can come from many kinds of animals, such as on the hornbill, walrus and sperm whale, but what is considered as real comes from the tusks and teeth of elephants and mammoths.

It was in the 1970s when a ban was declared for hunting elephants for their tusks. There may be some people who have pieces that came from elephants, but most of them have the materials that were gathered before the ban was pronounced.

There may be some people who don’t abide by the law and continue to hunt elephants for their tusks so that they will be able to earn by selling the collectible items or keeping these for their own personal purpose. If you happen to see anyone that is into this activity, you must not hesitate to warn them or get help from the rightful authorities to stop them from continuing with such.

If they won’t be stopped as soon as possible, even these elephants may only exist on history books in years to come.
The object can also be obtained from the hippopotamus teeth. This type is also quite common like the ones that came from mammoth tusks.

The kinds that are acquired from the teeth of the hippopotamus are often used for inlays, buttons and items that are utilized on a flat surface.

In China, the popular kinds are the ones that come from the beak of the hornbill. This can produce various collectible and wearable designs, small brooches and buckles. To create markings of tiny objects that can be hand crafted in an artistic way, the materials that come from the sperm whale and walrus are utilized.

It is very much okay to start a hobby or give in to your clamor for art and beauty that includes collecting ivory. You have to make sure though that you are not causing any troubles to anyone or anything, not unless you want to mess the whole thing up by getting caught red handed.

Great Ideas for Handmade Ivory Products

Products that are handcrafted from ivory are sought-after these days because of their material’s innate beauty and charm. Lightweight yet durable, ivory comes from the tusk of animals such as elephants, mastodons, and mammoths.

This is called a true ivory, and it is used as a material for some handcrafted products. Other products are made of faux ivory sources such as vegetable ivory and synthetic ivory. Today, finding handmade ivory products is a breeze because they are sold everywhere.

Are you looking for handcrafted ivory products to give as gifts or to use as décor items for your home? Here are some of the items you may want to consider:

• Necklace - It is one of the most popular uses of ivory for many years now. Ivory makes a gorgeous pendant when hand carved with a stunning design. Two of the most famous designs for ivory pendants are mini versions of mammoth tusks and fishhooks. Necklaces made of ivory look great when paired with ivory bracelets and earrings.

These ivory accessories go well with designer clothes or even casual outfits. • Ivory dividers - When integrated into the design of dividers or panels, ivory can make a great accent piece. Typically, ivory is hand carved to create various designs such as animals and flowers for the surfaces of panels.

• Pottery - Ivory is a very hard material, and it does not easily break or crack. That is why this material is suitable for making bowls, cups, and other pottery items. You can find ivory pottery in antique stores, thrift stores, online stores, and specialty stores.
• Décor items - Many home décor items and figurines are made of hand carved ivory that shows intricate details. These ivory products come in various sizes. For example, some are so huge that they can cover an entire wall. Others can fit into a coffee table or a dining table. Regardless of the type of ivory figurines or decorative items you have at home, they will surely attract the attention of your guests.
• Letter openers - Yes, letter openers can be made out of ivory. Like other ivory products, letter openers are hand carved in different styles and designs. Examples of the commonly used designs for ivory letter openers include geometric patterns and African-inspired heads.

• Accessories - Buttons, pins, droplets, and what have yous—there’s something that’s made of ivory that can suit your taste when it comes to fashion. Accessories made of ivory are perfect gifts for any occasion or souvenir items. They are also widely available in specialty stores.

These are just a few of the handmade ivory products that you can choose from. Over the Internet, you can find more ivory products that carry a wide range of designs and sizes.

If you are running on a tight budget, you may opt for products made of vegetable ivory, which is a cheaper alternative to authentic ivory made of animal tusks. Not only is it less expensive choice, but also an environmentally friendly one.

Mammoth Ivory Art Rising In Popularity

Most of the legally acquired materials that are made from ivory come from the wooly mammoths that are now extinct. There was a time in the ancient period when these animals freely roamed about in the wild.

Their tusks can get very long. These can measure up to 16 feet and beyond. There are various artifacts that were placed on various museums all over the globe that were made from the ivories from the tusks of mammoths, which date back around 10,000 to 20,000 years ago.

If you are interested in this kind of collection, it is not really that hard to acquire such as long as you have the capacity to pay and you know where to get the materials from. The source is very important in this case.

You must never buy something that is made from the tusks or teeth of elephants that were gotten from elephants that were captured after a ban has been imposed on this activity in the 70s.

The material that was acquired from the mammoth’s tusk is very much legal. There are many carvers that are located all around the world that specialize in carving intricate designs out of this precious object. The mammoths’ existence had long disappeared more than 10,000 to 40,000 years ago.

Owning even a small piece that was carved from the mammoth’s tusk is similar to owning an integral part of history that can never be regained. This is the reason why this could get very expensive, but if you really are a collector, this is something that you can afford.

The materials that are obtained from the tusks of elephants and mammoths look very similar when you look at these. The differences will be highly visible when the materials are placed under the ultra violet light. The ones that come from mammoths contain deposits of iron phosphate. When under the UV light, this looks purplish in color. Both types have different angles on their cross sections and the differences can only be pointed out by specialists.

The main source of the kinds that are obtained from the mammoths’ tusks come from the Arctic regions, where these animals got buried before they’ve gone extinct. Legal suppliers must first find the right sources of these materials before they can subject these to procurement.

After this process, the end product can then be turned into various forms of sculpture such as jewelry, netsuke, curios and a lot more.

The artistic pieces can then be sold to collectors and other individuals who are interested to acquire such. The materials vary on prices depending on the size and intricacies of design. If you want to start on a collection or add something to what you already own, you may first want to check different online resources. You can also look for the local artifact or curio shops that are near your place.

Things that are carved from a real ivory piece are actually good investments. The source is rare that is why its value keeps on increasing through time.

Tracking Illegal Ivory Trade in 2010

The illegal ivory trade has continued to rise despite efforts on banning such business activity. The problem now lies on how to track illegal ivory traders. This is a question on the inability to determine geographic origin of contraband ivory. Ivory traders smuggle it across several international borders using many differing trade routes. This strategy made poaching hotspots and potential trade routes difficult to determine especially in the forests of Central Africa.

Recently, a scientific breakthrough has been developed that can potentially protect the thousands of elephants who are near to extinction.

Researchers devised a genetic map of Africa's elephants which will enable investigators to precisely locate the region where a shipment has been made. Aside from the genetic analysis, the method can also determine where stronger anti-poaching efforts are needed. Then, it will provide the basis for monitoring the extent of the trade. Poaching is the term use to refer to illegal harvesting of elephants.

Extracting the DNA was the most complex matter in developing the new genetic devise. The process involved powdering the ivory. However, the researcher team’s previous experiments to powder the ivory through heat had destroyed the DNA.

In the latter experiments, the researcher team borrowed a method used by dentists to grind teeth to dust. This machine freezes the ivory at -240C, which brittles the ivory enough to be turned into powder. Thus, the DNA was preserved.

They identified genetic markers in African elephant population from various locations, detailing a genetic make-up of the continent’s elephants. Then, they adapted their genetic test to ivory. They used African elephant tusks that were at least 10 to 20 years old. They used a statistical method to extrapolate genetic signatures to fill in gaps between sampled populations.
The new devise was initially used to seize contraband ivory in Singapore in 2002. Thirty seven of the 500 seized tusks were tested. All the 37 tusks actually matched the genetics of elephants from Zambia and other near savannah. This resulted to replacement of Zambia’s director of wildlife and tightening of laws on ivory smuggling.
The advance technology is very timely during a period when illegal trade is reported the highest since its ban on 1989 through the listing of elephants in Appendix I of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The population of African elephants has now dropped to 600,000 from 1.2 million in 1970s. Lately, the Singapore government seized 6.5 tons of ivory. This is the largest apprehension in the history of the ivory trade. In addition, wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC reported a more than 4,000 elephants being killed every year to meet the demand for ivory consumption.
The increase in price of ivory is accounted as the major reason of steep increase in poaching. In 1989 when the ban was first implemented, the price of an ivory is $100 per kilogram. The price went down to $10 a ton in the subsequent years. But by the recent years, the price rocketed to $850. Thus, for illegal traders, ivory has become more lucrative.

Thailands Traditional Ivory Carving

The "white elephant" (white only in some areas of the body) is sacred in Thailand. To classify it as sacred, an elephant should also be genteel in demeanor. If an elephant meets these criteria, it will belong by law to the King of Thailand.

Other elephants were very important in Thai life. They were used in war, transport, and work. The ban logging in 1989 left many elephants unemployed. However, their use to humankind did not cease. Today, both Asian and African elephants are near-extinction largely because the ivory trade

Together with habitat loss, these were the major causes of the steep decline. In 2001, Thailand was reported to have more than more than 88,000 worked ivory items for sale. These items were smuggled in from Africa, Myanmar and China.

Ivory carving in Thailand was done through hand tools such as saws, files, chisels, gauges, farmers, awls, and drills until the late 1970s. The need for mass production to meet a higher demand led ivory workshops to use electric tools such as ban saws, grinders, lathes, and buffers.
Buddhas, animals, and King Rama V are the three subjects done only by a skilled Thai master carver. Most Thai craftsmen, which include women, specialize in specific tasks or subject.

It should be noted though that versatility is an important characteristic of skilled carvers. In Thai ivory carving, the best raw ivory is used for the larger figurines, carved tusks and name seals.

The poorest ivory is for pendants, amulets, necklaces, and rosary beads; whereas the good ones are used for the bangles and carved bracelets.

History Of Africa's Ivory Trade

The current population of African elephant is about 600,000 down from about 1.2 million in 1979. Why? It is because of the exploitation of elephants for their ivory and skin. Hence, a sharp increase in elephant poaching, including illicit ivory trade, across Africa in the recent years.

The illegal harvesting of elephants is known as elephant poaching. It was already proven that poaching has caused the decimation of elephant population by almost half between the years of 1979 to 1989. This was the time when an elephant can yield $3, 600 for the middlemen while the average worker’s wage is no more than $1, 000 annually.

Elephant poaching happens because the state lacks enforcement and monitoring; the animals have no clear cut property rights also. In 1978, African elephant was placed on Appendix II of the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) because of the decline of its population and its economic value.

The Appendix II regulates commercial trade and provides restriction on what is detrimental to the species.

The United States and many European nations imposed a moratorium on ivory imports in June 1989 to save the remaining elephant populations. The African elephant was added to Appendix I in October. The Appendix I ban trade in the products of African elephants and other species threatened by extinction. Such world ivory trading ban was implemented on January 18, 1990. African nations such as Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi and South Africa took reservations. They even formed the South African Center for Ivory Marketing (SACIM). This organization has not functioned yet because of lack of buyers.
However, the trade ban had varying effects depending on the state. All players involved in the poaching business and ivory trade such as producers, entrepots, and consumers have different incentives to comply with the ban. These incentives actually are in conflict with each other. That’s why; the ivory trade failed in some aspects. Since then, the illicit ivory trade has continued despite policy efforts.

The Space for Elephants (SEF) said illicit ivory trade has increased since 2004 and shoot up in 2009. Even the research of Elephant Trade Information System supported SEF’s claims. SEF found that the volume of illicit ivory capture doubled between 2008 and 2009. Kenya and Democratic Republic of Congo are recorded as countries having the large numbers of elephant poaching, which were run by well-organized crime syndicates supplying the elephant demand especially in Asia.

The Kenyan government reported around 232 victims of poachers in 2009—up from 145 in 2008. Meanwhile in Congo, the Congolese military struggles to cope with poaching activity. In this country, rebels are believed to be involved in poaching and selling ivory.


These numbers showed the severity of poaching in Africa today than in 1990's. Experts estimated an 8 to 10% of Africa's elephants being killed every year to supply the growing demand for ivory. This level of poaching is incomparable in the 1980's before the world ivory trading ban implementation.

What is apparent in the history of elephant poaching and illicit ivory trade in Africa is that states in conflict and corruption are in no position to enforce laws controlling the illicit trade in ivory.

For example, the abovementioned failure of the world ivory trading ban in 1990. The cultural and economic factors, particularly in Asia, also contribute to the rampant illicit ivory trade because of its ever present and continuing demand for ivory products.

Today, many studies projected that with that rate of elephant poaching there is a possibility of extinction by 2010. The elephant poaching and illicit ivory trades have been the main concerns for the 15th CITES’ Conference of Parties.

Other Sources Of Ivory

Here’s a detailed look into the other sources of Ivory, a most popular and most sought after object.
In the Arctic regions, people have long found out that this element can be found on walrus.

The activity has been in existence since the prehistoric era. The carving and engraving of such material that is made from the tusks and teeth of walrus are common in the Inuit clans in Greenland and North America, the clans of Chukchi and Koryak that can be found around the continent of Russia.

This animal is a good source of the material because the tusks of the Walrus are elongated with the average size of around 5 centimeters in length. Its teeth got the irregular round shape. The enamel on its tusk coating will wear out as the animal grows in age and in size and it will develop cracks.

This material can also be obtained from the Warthog, such as the common kinds that can be found in many parts of Africa. The size of this animal is about three to five feet and its weight can be from 100 up to about 300 pounds and beyond. This animal’s tusks and teeth are used to dig and also serve as their defense mechanism that helps them survive. Their upper protruding teeth can get up to about nine inches in length and the lower set is shorter.

The Helmeted Hornbill is another good source of this object. This is a large bird that flocks on the islands of Sumatra, Borneo and Malay. Carving objects that are made from this material can be rooted in the Ming Dynasty of China, the cultural artistic expressions in Japan and the carving activities in Netsuke that dates back 300 years ago.
With so many sources of ivory, you have lots of options about the materials that will help you from getting tempted in getting unlawful types.