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Elephant
Ivory, Mammoth Ivory, and Schreger
Lines
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How
to tell Elephant Ivory from Mammoth Ivory
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 Due to shortages in available Ivory for artists,
other substance have always been sought. The trade
in Elephant Ivory has nearly come to a complete
stop. The master carvers of China and Japan have
turned to alternative substances for the making of
Snuff Bottles, Netsuke, and other works of Art.
Mammoth Ivory is currently being excavated in areas
of Northern Siberia. This is from Mammoth Elephants
and Mastodons that live 10,000 to 2 million years
ago. The frozen glaciers have preserved there
remains in near perfect condition. Eventually,
the supply of mammoth ivory will begin to run out
and the prices will rise dramatically. This will
make Mammoth Ivory pieces more expensive to buy and
could also put the elephant in danger of poaching
once again.
Elephant
Ivory and Mammoth Ivory share a unique grain pattern
known as Schreger Lines. These lines can help to
identify if a piece is elephant or mammoth ivory.
The test itself is actually only 100% accurate when
viewing a complete section of the tusk and using the
measurements on the outermost section of the tusk.
Perhaps the best way to tell the difference is to
know the sources you buy from and make sure that
they know their sources. The whole tusks travel the
world accompanied by inspection certificates that
certify the material and subsequent certificates are
issued for the final products carved from the tusks.
Below are some pictures to help you identify your
items.
If you are not sure
what a Mammoth is: Click
Here
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Cross
Section of Elephant Tusk
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The
Schreger lines in Elephant Ivory form angles greater
than 115 degrees. If you look at the section nearest
the center, you will see that the angle is much
tighter than 115 degrees in this area.
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Cross
Section of Mammoth Tusk
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The
Schreger lines in Mammoth Ivory are much tighter
throughout and the angle is less than 90 degrees
when the tusk is cut straight through.
Unfortunately, if the tusk is cut at an angle, this
will make the lines appear more like elephant ivory.
If it is under 90 it is definitely Mammoth Ivory. If
it is over 90, it could be either and you need to
look for other signs that may help determine the
age.
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A couple visible signs
that can be used to identify some pieces of ivory
are either age lines / cracks in elephant ivory, or
discoloration from the outside (or bark) on mammoth
ivory.
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Age
Lines in Elephant Ivory
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Age lines as shown above
do not detract from the value of a piece of ivory.
Some even prefer pieces with age lines as it
provides instant confirmation that the piece is old
elephant ivory from long before the ban. The ivory
in the picture above is about 150 years old.
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Section
of Mammoth Ivory with Outer Layer / Bark
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Is it not uncommon for
larger mammoth ivory carvings to still have portions
of the darker bark on the piece. This adds character
to the carving if used properly and quickly
identifies the piece as Mammoth Ivory.
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