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Ivory

For other uses, see Ivory (disambiguation).
11th-century Italian carved elephant tusk, Louvre.
Cylindrical ivory casket, Siculo-Arabic, Hunt Museum.

Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals is the same, regardless of the species of origin, but ivory contains structures of mineralised collagen.[1] The trade in certain teeth and tusks other than elephant is well established and widespread; therefore, "ivory" can correctly be used to describe any mammalian teeth or tusks of commercial interest which are large enough to be carved or scrimshawed.[2]

Besides natural ivory, ivory can also be produced synthetically,[3][4][5][6][7] hence (unlike natural ivory) not requiring the retrieval of the material from animals. Tagua nuts can also be carved like ivory.[8]

The trade of finished goods of ivory products has its origins in the Indus Valley. Ivory is a main product that is seen in abundance and was used for trading in Harappan civilization. Finished ivory products that were seen in Harappan sites include kohl sticks, pins, awls, hooks, toggles, combs, game pieces, dice, inlay and other personal ornaments.

Ivory has been valued since ancient times in art or manufacturing for making a range of items from ivory carvings to false teeth, piano keys, fans, and dominoes.[9] Elephant ivory is the most important source, but ivory from mammoth, walrus, hippopotamus, sperm whale, orca, narwhal and warthog are used as well.[10][11] Elk also have two ivory teeth, which are believed to be the remnants of tusks from their ancestors.[12]

The national and international trade in natural ivory of threatened species such as African and Asian elephants is illegal.[13] The word ivory ultimately derives from the ancient Egyptian âb, âbu ('elephant'), through the Latin ebor- or ebur.[14]

  1. ^ Albéric, M.; Gourrier, A.; Wagermaier, W.; Fratzl, P.; Reiche, I. (2018). "The three-dimensional arrangement of the mineralized collagen fibers in elephant ivory and its relation to mechanical and optical properties". Acta Biomaterialia. 72: 342–351. doi:10.1016/j.actbio.2018.02.016. PMID 29477454. S2CID 4701276.
  2. ^ "Identification Guide for Ivory and Ivory Substitutes" (PDF). Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  3. ^ Bio-Inspired Synthetic Ivory as a Sustainable Material
  4. ^ American Chemical Society (2018-01-24). "Lab-grown horns and tusks could stop poaching—or not". phys.org.
  5. ^ Fischer, Dieter; Parks, Sarah; Mannhart, Jochen (2019). "Bio-Inspired Synthetic Ivory as a Sustainable Material for Piano Keys". Sustainability. 11 (23): 6538. arXiv:1912.06481. doi:10.3390/su11236538.
  6. ^ Mushegian, Sasha (2017-05-10). "Appalled by the Illegal Trade in Elephant Ivory, a Biologist Decided to Make His Own". Smithsonian Magazine.
  7. ^ Zhou, Zhao-Min (2014). "Synthetic ivory fails to stop illegal trade". Nature. 507 (7490): 40. doi:10.1038/507040a. PMID 24598629. S2CID 12301652.
  8. ^ Armstrong, Franette (2014-07-30). "The Truth About Tusks". The Dodo.
  9. ^ "George Washington's false teeth not wooden". Associated Press. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  10. ^ Espinoza, E. O.; M. J. Mann (1991). Identification guide for ivory and ivory substitutes. Baltimore: World Wildlife Fund and Conservation Foundation.
  11. ^ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Lab. "Ivory Identification Guide – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory". fws.gov. Archived from the original on 2017-06-23. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
  12. ^ "Elk Facts". Colorado Elk Breeders. Archived from the original on 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
  13. ^ Singh, Rina Rani; Goyal, Surendra Prakash; Khanna, Param Pal; Mukherjee, Pulok Kumar; Sukumar, Raman (2006). "Using morphometric and analytical techniques to characterize elephant ivory". Forensic Science International. 162 (1–3): 144–151. doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2006.06.028. PMID 16891073.
  14. ^ The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford 1993), entry for "ivory."

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