Ivory vs Bone, how do you tell?

[famous turtle treasures]

Any ivory experts in here? I just found a little buddha that looks like he is either ivory or bone. He is not plastic, but how do I tell if he is bone?

I remembered something about tree rings and ivory, when I picked him up, I could see lines that could be growth lines.

In the pictures, you can clearly see lines in him.

If it is ivory, too bad he has a broken hand, but I paid a whole 25 cents for him.

 

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[famous turtle treasures]

It looks extremely similar to this....

Google Image Result for http://www.petermcbride.com/ivory/ivory_retzius_lines2.jpg

 

[Red James Cash]

Touch a red hot pin to it on the bottom,i believe burning ivory smells like burning hair.

 

[leadnbrass]

I don't think it's bone...seems to clean and white. It may be a ivory type composite. You can run a pin into it ...that'll will rule out composite and or plastic types.

I have a trinket box that I've bee trying to figure out if its ivory or bone for the past six months...it's not easy it seems...two "experts" claimed it could be either.

 

[kitkat420]

I have a bunch of ivory jewelry, the older jewelry has a yellowish/brownish aged look to it, I agree this seems too white an clean to be ivory or at least older. Ox bone maybe?

 

[capt-zero]

Okay, I've posted on this before. I can't remember the exact site, but if you search "identifying ivory" one of the first hits will be a site called "is it real or is it fake". This site will tell you more than you probably want to know about how to identify the different types of ivory. In reguards to your pictures, the piece you have is definately pachederm ivory (whether african, indian elephant, or mamoth, I would need to look closely to tell). The schrager lines on the head tell the story. The hot pin test should NEVER be done on anything you suspect might be a valuable collectable. Any invasive test of any item to determine autenticity is foolish (it's like erasing Picasso's pencil signature to assure yourself it's authentic). Take pearls, there are really two ways to positively test them, with radiography and the hammer test (smashing them to see the growth patterns). The tooth test is an old wives tale. Which would you use on your grandmothers antique pearls? Pretty much anything can be identified by searching "identifying (whatever you desire)". Try it.

 

[capt-zero]

leadnbrass, Post some detailed photos and I can tell you.

 

[famous turtle treasures]

Okay, I've posted on this before. I can't remember the exact site, but if you search "identifying ivory" one of the first hits will be a site called "is it real or is it fake". This site will tell you more than you probably want to know about how to identify the different types of ivory. In reguards to your pictures, the piece you have is definately pachederm ivory (whether african, indian elephant, or mamoth, I would need to look closely to tell). The schrager lines on the head tell the story. The hot pin test should NEVER be done on anything you suspect might be a valuable collectable. Any invasive test of any item to determine autenticity is foolish (it's like erasing Picasso's pencil signature to assure yourself it's authentic). Take pearls, there are really two ways to positively test them, with radiography and the hammer test (smashing them to see the growth patterns). The tooth test is an old wives tale. Which would you use on your grandmothers antique pearls? Pretty much anything can be identified by searching "identifying (whatever you desire)". Try it.

Thanks, I know how to research, the point of this post was to backup the information I already found as well as share the find.

 

[famous turtle treasures]

Everything I have found points to ivory, and capt-zero just sealed the deal so that's cool. Since I only paid .25 cent for him, I think I'll keep him as a reference.

 

[capt-zero]

famous turtle treasures, 25 cents, very nice. I collect ivory and buy it every chance I get, but I had to go to feebay to get an okimino. Was there a stone in your happy Budda's forehead?

 

[leadnbrass]

leadnbrass, Post some detailed photos and I can tell you.

Heres a few...thanks.

 

[capt-zero]

leadnbrass, At first glance it looks like bone. The difinitive test will be to get a loupe 10X and look closely at the material. Bone was living tissue at one time and needed to have a blood supply. Under magnification, if bone, it will have pores where the cappilaries passed through providing oxygen to the bone.

 

[capt-zero]

leadnbrass,
I seperated the photos from the page and ramped the magnification way up on my computer, and the top, at least, is almost certainly bone. I can't seem to get a good look at the sides. I've seen a number of these little keepsake boxes, I have one myself, and I haven't seen one made of ivory yet. I believe they are made in the Middle East somewhere.

 

[capt-zero]

Oops! I accidently double posted. Sorry

 

[leadnbrass]

Thanks for the input...I'm leaning towards bone myself and actually brought it to two established shops in the area.

Both were at odds...one for bone and one for ivory.

 

[famous turtle treasures]

famous turtle treasures, 25 cents, very nice. I collect ivory and buy it every chance I get, but I had to go to feebay to get an okimino. Was there a stone in your happy Budda's forehead?

No stone, I that mark was just something that got dribbled on him because I just wiped it off.

 

[capt-zero]

famous turtle treasures,

I'm a fallen Buddist and I follow the Happy Budda, I'm very jealous of your find. I've been looking for one of those for years.

Refering back to what kitkat420 posted earlier, if you handle it a lot, over time it will develop a golden sheen from the transfer of body oils on your hands. One non-definitive way of determining age.