IVORY CARVING, BONE OR PLASTIC

To inspect the object in question, I start by arming myself with a 5x or higher magnifier. I slowly turn the object at various angles and look for the distinctive pattern that spells authenticity. Real elephant ivory and mammoth ivory have striations and cross-hatched grain in certain sections, depending on how the material was cut. Absence of these grain patterns is a sure sign that the material is NOT elephant or mammoth ivory. Marine ivory such as walrus and whale have no cross-hatch patterns, but do have a subtle wavy grain, which may be difficult to find on some pieces. However, handling them a few times can increase familiarity with the material; generally walrus has a hard glassy surface and is also a bit more dense than elephant or mammoth ivory. When carved and polished it may show some translucency.

While composite material is heavier, bone is lighter than ivory. In composite material you often can spot parting lines or seams, (the joins between two separate sections of rubber mold). At first glance, some bone may look like ivory, but there are always small pores and/or short vertical lines in bone. Most bone lacks the dense consistency required for carving fine details and smooth edges.