What makes a tusk carving so collectible?
Other types of ivory may still bring lofty prices, but mammoth tusk carvings remain highly collectible due to their rarity. Find patterns and grain in the ivory carving.
How is Dolores interested in antiques and collectibles?
After inheriting her grandmother’s collection of antiques, Dolores has maintained an interest in the care and sale of vintage items. Learn more about determining the value of antiques and collectibles.
What’s the value of an old piece of furniture?
There are so many factors that go into determining antique furniture values, which is why so many people make costly mistakes. You could store that old rocker thinking it’s worth a fortune when it’s virtually worthless, or worse; you could end up throwing out something that is so valuable it could send your kids to college.
What kind of tusks are used to make ivory?
Ivory carvings, fashioned for thousands of years from the tusks of mammoths, elephants, rhinos and other animals, still captivate collectors even after recent controversy about the import of African elephant tusks. Artistic ivory carvings, from Buddha figurines to elaborate carved slabs…
How to determine the value of ivory carvings?
To see if your carving was fashioned from valuable mammoth tusk, look for a bluish tinge caused by thousands of years of exposure to minerals in the soil. Other types of ivory may still bring lofty prices, but mammoth tusk carvings remain highly collectible due to their rarity.
Can a mammoth ivory carving be brought into the US?
Mammoth ivory carvings can be brought into the United States legally; new ivory from African elephants has been banned from import into America since 1989. Illegal carvings, offered for sale on the Internet as bone instead of ivory, often come from China. Check the origin of the ivory carving.
Where did the first ivory combs come from?
Ivory combs were made by early civilizations, and were hand carved for centuries around the world. Some of the earliest combs date back 5000 years to Persia. In addition to the standard used of the comb (i.e. hair and fiber grooming) combs were also used to make music.
What kind of ivory is used for crucifixes?
Antique ivory crucifixes were carved in various styles and sizes. The crucifix, consisting of a representation of Jesus’s body adhered to a cross, is mostly used in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Eastern Orthodox churches.
What was ivory used for in the past?
From pre-historic times to the present, ivory has been among the most prized materials known to man. Sometimes it has been brightly-colored, at other times left pure white. It has been used for crude objects to some of the most intricate and ornamented things ever created.
Is there a scrimshaw replica of the whaler Prince?
Only 1 left! Scrimshaw Resin Faux Ship The Comet 1831 Whaler Image Replica Whale Tooth LOOK! Scrimshaw RESIN REPLICA tusk ” THE WHALER PRINCE, OCT17,1841 BIG SALE!!
