An elaborately carved ivory decoration

Ivory is a hard, white, opaque substance that is the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals such as the elephant, hippopotamus, walrus, mammoth, narwhal, etc. Prior to the introduction of plastics, it was used for billiard balls, piano keys, buttons and ornamental items. The word "ivory" was traditionally applied to the tusks of elephants. Plastics have been viewed by piano purists as an inferior ivory substitute on piano keys, although other recently developed materials more closely resemble the feel of real ivory. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1323x767, 178 KB) Summary An ivory decoration. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1323x767, 178 KB) Summary An ivory decoration. ... Types of teeth Molars are used for grinding up foods Carnassials are used for slicing food. ... Pacific Walrus at Cape Peirce A tusk is an extremely long tooth of certain mammals that protrudes when the mouth is closed. ... Genera and Species Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of pachyderm, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea. ... Binomial name Hippopotamus amphibius Linnaeus, 1758 The Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius a. ... Binomial name Odobenus rosmarus (Linnaeus, 1758) Subspecies Walruses (from Dutch: wal meaning shore, and r(e)us meaning giant) are large semi-aquatic mammals that live in the cold Arctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. ... Species Mammuthus columbi  Columbian mammoth Mammuthus exilis  Pygmy mammoth Mammuthus jeffersonii  Jeffersonian mammoth Mammuthus trogontheri  Steppe mammoth Mammuthus meridionalis Mammuthus primigenius  Woolly mammoth Mammuthus lamarmorae  Sardinian Dwarf Mammoth A mammoth is any of a number of an extinct genus of elephant, often with long curved tusks and, in northern species... Binomial name Monodon monoceros Linnaeus, 1758 Narwhal range The narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is an Arctic species of cetacean with a body similar to that of a beluga whale and Irrawaddy Dolphin. ... The term plastics covers a range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic condensation or polymerization products that can be molded or extruded into objects or films or fibers. ... This article is about the various cue sports. ... A baby grand piano, with the lid up. ... Genera and Species Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of pachyderm, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea. ...

Structure

The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals is the same regardless of the species of origin, and 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 is large enough to be carved or scrimshawed. Scrimshaw is the name given to handiwork created by whalers made from the byproducts of harvesting marine mammals. ...

Teeth and tusks

Pacific Walrus at Cape Peirce

Teeth and tusks have the same origins. Teeth are specialized structures adapted for food mastication. Tusks, which are extremely large teeth projecting beyond the lips, have evolved from teeth and give certain species an evolutionary advantage. The teeth of most mammals consists of a root and the tusk proper. Public Domain U.S.Fish & Wildlife Service Pacific Walrus at Cape Peirce http://images. ... Public Domain U.S.Fish & Wildlife Service Pacific Walrus at Cape Peirce http://images. ... Types of teeth Molars are used for grinding up foods Carnassials are used for slicing food. ... Pacific Walrus at Cape Peirce A tusk is an extremely long tooth of certain mammals that protrudes when the mouth is closed. ... Chewing is the process by which food is torn and/or crushed by teeth. ...

Teeth and tusks have the same physical structures: pulp cavity, dentine, cementum and enamel. The innermost area is the pulp cavity. The pulp cavity is an empty space within the tooth that conforms to the shape of the pulp. The dental pulp is the part in the center of a tooth made up of living soft tissue and cells called odontoblasts and others. ... The word cavity in English means a hollow or a hole. ... Dentin (BE: dentine) is the name of substance between the enamel (crown) or cementum (root) of a tooth and the pulp chamber. ... Cementum is a specialized bony substance covering the root of a tooth. ... Tooth enamel is the hardest and most highly mineralized substance of the body , and with dentin, cementum, and dental pulp is one of the four major parts of the tooth. ...

Odontoblasts line the pulp cavity and are responsible for the production of dentine. Dentine, which is the main component of carved ivory objects, forms a layer of consistent thickness around the pulp cavity and comprises the bulk of the tooth and tusk. Dentine is a mineralized connective tissue with an organic matrix of collagenous proteins. The inorganic component of dentine consists of dahllite. Dentine contains a microscopic structure called dentinal tubules which are micro-canals that radiate outward through the dentine from the pulp cavity to the exterior cementum border. These canals have different configurations in different ivories and their diameter ranges between 0.8 and 2.2 micrometres. Their length is dictated by the radius of the tusk. The three dimensional configuration of the dentinal tubules is under genetic control and is therefore a characteristic unique to the order. An odontoblast is a biological cell that is part of the outer surface of the dental pulp, and whose biological function is dentinogenesis, which is the creation of dentin, the substance under the tooth enamel and ivory. ...

Ivory art in the ancient world

Paleolithic Cro-Magnon man, during the late stages of the ice age, were the first to carve in ivory (mammoth tusks). Both the Greek and Roman civilizations used large quantities of ivory to make high value works of art, precious religious objects, and decorative boxes for costly objects. Ivory was often used to form the whites of the eyes of statues. The Syrian and North African elephant populations were reduced to extinction, probably due to the demand for ivory in the Classical world. The Cro-Magnons form the earliest known European examples of Homo sapiens, the subspecies to which modern humans belong. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... The Roman Forum was the central area around which ancient Rome developed. ... It has been suggested that Greco-Roman be merged into this article or section. ...

ivory has been a most prestigious material for carving.

Tooth and tusk ivory can be carved into an almost infinite variety of shapes and objects. A small example of modern carved ivory objects are small statuary, netsukes, jewelry, flatware handles, furniture inlays, and piano keys. Additionally, warthog tusks, and teeth from sperm whales, orcas and hippos can also be scrimshawed or superficially carved, thus retaining their morphologically recognizable shapes. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (605x1091, 144 KB)A piece of carved ivory from the Pushkin Museum representing Christ blessing Emperor Constantine VII. Dated back to 945, the piece passed from the treasury at Echmiadzin to the collection of Count Sergey Uvarov in the mid-19th... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (605x1091, 144 KB)A piece of carved ivory from the Pushkin Museum representing Christ blessing Emperor Constantine VII. Dated back to 945, the piece passed from the treasury at Echmiadzin to the collection of Count Sergey Uvarov in the mid-19th... a monkey-shaped netsuke a netsuke maintains an inro (box) in the obi (belt) Japanese artists starting in the 17th century cleverly invented the miniature sculptures known as netsuke (Japanese:根付) to serve a very practical function. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Binomial name Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758 Sperm Whale range (in blue) The fluke of a Sperm Whale as it dives into the Gulf of Mexico (courtesy NMFS) The Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of all toothed whales and is believed to be the largest toothed animal to ever... Binomial name Orcinus orca Linnaeus, 1758 Orca range (in blue) The orca (Orcinus orca) is the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family Delphinidae. ...

Availability

Due to the rapid decline in the populations of the animals that produce it, the importation and sale of ivory in many countries is banned or severely restricted. Much of the decline in population is due to poachers during and before the 1980s. Since the worldwide ivory trade ban in 1989 there have been ups and downs in elephant populations, and ivory trade as bans have been placed and lifted. Many African countries including Zimbabwe and South Africa claim that ivory trade is necessary—both to stimulate their economies and reduce elephant populations which are allegedly harming the environment. In 2002 the United Nations partially lifted the ban on ivory trade, allowing a few countries to export certain amounts of ivory. Yet, a 1999 study done by Oxford University found that less than one percent of the five-hundred million US dollars ivory sales generate ever reach Africans; most of it goes to middlemen and vendors, so the effectiveness of the policy is in question. A seashell vendor sells seashells which have been taken alive from the water, killing the animal inside. ... MacGyver - 1980s hero The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... United Nations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ...

Kenya, which saw its elephant populations plummet in the decade preceding the 1989 ban, claims that legalizing ivory trade anywhere in Africa will endanger elephants everywhere in Africa as poachers would attempt to launder their illegal ivory with legal stockpiles. 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Trade in the ivory from the tusks of dead mammoths has occurred for 300 years and continues to be legal. Mammoth ivory is used today to make handcrafted knives and similar implements. Species Mammuthus columbi  Columbian mammoth Mammuthus exilis  Pygmy mammoth Mammuthus jeffersonii  Jeffersonian mammoth Mammuthus trogontheri  Steppe mammoth Mammuthus meridionalis Mammuthus primigenius  Woolly mammoth Mammuthus lamarmorae  Sardinian Dwarf Mammoth A mammoth is any of a number of an extinct genus of elephant, often with long curved tusks and, in northern species...

A species of hard nut is gaining popularity as a replacement for ivory, although its size limits its usability. It is sometimes called vegetable ivory, or tagua, and is the seed endosperm of the ivory nut palm commonly found in coastal rainforests of Ecuador and Peru. [1] Vegetable Ivory is the name used for hard, carvable substitutes for real ivory. ... A ripe red jalapeno cut open to show the seeds For other uses, see Seed (disambiguation). ... Endosperm is a triploid tissue (containing three sets of chromosomes) found in the seeds of flowering plants. ... Binomial name Phytelephas aequatorialis Spruce The palm tree Phytelephas aequatorialis, which bears the common names tagua palm and ivory nut palm is a main source of vegetable ivory, or tagua, a botanical alternative to ivory. ... This article is about the rainforest in general. ...

Types of ivory

• Elephant and mammoth ivory from the tusks of bull elephants and mammoths.
• Walrus ivory from the tusks of a bull walrus.
• Sperm Whale and Killer Whale ivory
• Narwhal ivory
• Hippopotamus ivory
• Warthog ivory
• Elk Ivory from the bugling teeth of bull elk.

So-called hornbill ivory, derived from a bird, is not true ivory but resembles it in some ways. Elephant and mammoth tusk ivory comes from the two modified upper incisors of extant and extinct members of the same order (Proboscidea). ... Walrus tusk ivory comes from two modified upper canines. ... Warthog ivory is taken from the constantly growing canine teeth of the warthog. ... Hornbill ivory (also called golden jade) is a precious ornamental material derived from the Helmeted Hornbill (Buceros vigil), a large bird of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo Many hornbill species have casques, decorative growths on the upper mandible of the bill. ...

See also

• Ivory carving

Ivory carving is the process whereby ivory is ornamented with any design, by means of sharp cutting tools, either mechanically or manually. ...

External links

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Ivory