Ivory-bone

[Richard Hanley]

I Picked up a crochet hook that looks like ivory. my buddy says it is bone. Can any one tell us how to tell the difference? Richard

[cuemaker]

can you post a picture?

[Swarf&Sparks]

is this a $ question?

[cuemaker]

Ivory usually has a "grain" or pattern of uneven striations
Bone is much flatter looking, and usually has tiny black dots on the surface

If it is a money question, the material wont matter. Ivory has lost alot of "value" for many reasons....

[Swarf&Sparks]

wasn't taking the p1ss
I'm serious
are you carving/turning bone?
or are you seeking a $ for old c hooks?

[PTSideshow]

As has been stated,you will also be able to tell by the color, bone doesn't turn the warm yellow like ivory does it will be a whitish color. The bone is also harder,
If you have some kind of hand magnifier you will also be able to tell the black dots as have been stated are a dead give away.

There are any number of sewing basket items tools that were made from ivory and then from whale bones.
Items made in India and the Far East up until the cut off date for CITIES Treaty. Were made with bone and sold as ivory. after the cut off they were called or sold as bone ivory.
needles, bodkins,awls,button hooks, and assorted sewing basket notions were. Since the bone was stronger then ivory, the whalers often fudged it and told the sweety that it was ivory in stead of bone.


From the book
Scrimshaw The whaler's Legacy
by Martha Lawernce
Schiffer
ISBN:088740-455-3

Knitting needles were more common, from ivory the hooks from whale bone also the bone folders of leather work.
If it looks like old wood light in color but black grain like flecks, they could be whale bone.

As a side note, the fakes and some old made fakes were soaked in coffee, or tea to give them an old patina.

[gnm109]

The Martin Guitar Company used lots of real Ivory in the pre-CITES era. My 1962 Martin D-28 still has its original genuine Ivory Nut and Saddle. If you look at the parts closely you can see the grain of the ivory. As others mentioned, it tends to turn a bit yellowish through the years. I also have a 1967 Martin D-35 that has the plastic parts in those areas that Martin started using in contemplatoin of the ban.

The CITES treaty also forced guitar manufacturers to cease using Brazilian Rosewood after around 1969 or so. Nowadays they are using lots of East Indian Rosewood. Honduras Mahogany, too is getting scarce and has been replaced in some cases by Sapelle and Cedar.

When I was a child in Chicago I lived on the South Side near 47th Street and Lake Park Avenue. At 49th street there was a beautiful museum that was built by George F. Harding who, besides being a early political figure in Chicago, was a collector of arms and militaria. The museum was built to look like a small medieval castle. I visited there many times because I was fascinated with the collection and it was within walking distance of my home.

Among the many suits of armour, swords and flintlocks, there was a very extensive collection of scrimshaw carvings done on Ivory, bone, and various anmal teeth. There were as I recall several hundred items, some of them dating back to the days of the whaling ships.

In 1981, the entire collection was transferred to the Art Institute of Chicago and the building was razed. It was the largest single gift that the Institute had ever received. Any of you who live in or visit Chicago can go see portions of that collection.

[Richard Hanley]

Thank you to those that have given me useful feedback. The crochet hooks have a small amount of grain and are the yellow - ivory color and I see no black dots. They look like ivory to me. I know they have very small dollar value , but I like them .
I have made small parts from ivory in model making projects and enjoy machining it. One hook may be used for its material. One of the women at the Laundromat likes to crochet. I think she would enjoy having the other.
These hooks came from a estate sale. Finding them and owning them has been great fun.
Richard

[Frank Ford]

My experience is that bone is more likely to be discolored than ivory.

Looking at the end grain of ivory, the dead giveaway is a moire pattern of grain lines.

Bone often has teeny little holes that may show up as dark or black dots - remnants of blood vessels, etc.