Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Ivory shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Ivory offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Ivory at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Ivory? Wrong! If the Ivory is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Ivory then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Ivory? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Ivory and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Ivory wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Ivory then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Ivory site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Ivory, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Ivory, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
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 and narwhal.
The word "ivory" was traditionally applied to the tusks of elephants; the word is ultimately from Ancient
Egyptian language âb, âbu "elephant".
Ivory has availed itself to many ornamental and practical uses. Prior to the introduction of plastics, it was used for
billiard balls, piano keys, bagpipes, buttons and a wide range of ornamental items. Synthetic substitutes for ivory have been developed. 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.
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.
Teeth and tusks
Teeth and tusks have the same origins. Teeth are specialized structures adapted for food chewing. 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.
Teeth and tusks have the same physical structures:
Pulp (tooth), dentine,
cementum and Tooth 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.
Ivory in art
.
Paleolithic Cro-Magnon man, during the late stages of the ice age, were the first to carve in ivory (mammoth tusks).Both the Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome 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 white 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 Antiquity.
The Chinese have long valued ivory for both art and utilitarian objects. Southeast Asian kingdoms included tusks of the Indian elephant in their annual tribute caravans to China. Chinese craftsmen carved ivory to make everything from images of Buddhist and Taoist deities to
opium pipes.Martin, Steven.
The Art of Opium Antiques. (2007). Silkworm Books, Chiang Mai
The Indianized Buddhist cultures of Southeast Asia, including Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos and Cambodia traditionally harvested ivory from their domesticated elephants. Ivory was prized for containers due to its ability to keep an airtight seal. Ivory was also commonly carved into elaborate seals utilized by officials to "sign" documents and decrees by stamping them with their unique official seal. http://www.asianart.com/articles/thai-ivory/index.html
Ivory Carving in Thailand Retrieved on 08-30-07
In Southeast Asian countries where Muslim Malay peoples live, such as Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, ivory was the material of choice for making the handles of magical kris daggers. In the Philippines ivory has also traditionally been used to craft the faces and hands of Catholic icons and images of saints.
Tooth and tusk ivory can be carved into a vast 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.
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 poaching 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, Namibia and Botswana claim that ivory trade is necessary—both to stimulate their economies and reduce elephant populations which are allegedly harming the environment. A 1999 study done by
Oxford University found that less than one percent of the five-hundred million US dollars ivory sales generated ever reach Africans; most of it goes to middlemen and vendors. However, in
2002 the United Nations partially lifted the ban on ivory trade, allowing a few countries to export certain amounts of ivory. The effectiveness of the policy is in question, in light of the study preceding the ban, and an updated study would be needed to evaluate the current state of the ivory trade.
In
2007 Ebay, under pressure from the
International Fund for Animal Welfare, made the decision to ban all international sales of elephant ivory products. The IFAW found that up to 90% of the elephant ivory transactions on Ebay violated their own wildlife policies and could potentially be illegal. The ban does not affect trade within the United States but only trade between sellers in different countries.Antique Week, July 9, 2007, Page 1
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.
The
2006 Zakouma elephant slaughter in Chad is one of a long series of massacres which have eliminated some percent of the original 300,000
African elephant population of Chad in only four decades.
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.
The demand for ivory is primarily from the Japanese seal (Chinese) industry. Hankos are small seals. Traditionally, these hankos were also made from other material. Ivory hankos were introduced only in the last century.
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 , Peru and
Colombia.http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/04/26/vegivory/index.html
Types of ivory
- Elephant and mammoth ivory from the tusks of bull elephants and mammoths
- Walrus ivory from the tusks of a bull walrus
- Warthog ivory
- Hornbill ivory, derived from a bird, is not true ivory but resembles it
References
See also
External links
- Ivory mobile phone made in China
- Commercially-available tagua (vegetable ivory)
- Ivory and the Elephant 700 page overview of Ivory production, and role in archeology, art and jewelry by George Frederick Kunz
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 and narwhal.
The word "ivory" was traditionally applied to the tusks of elephants; the word is ultimately from Ancient Egyptian language
âb, âbu "elephant".
Ivory has availed itself to many ornamental and practical uses. Prior to the introduction of plastics, it was used for billiard balls, piano keys,
bagpipes, buttons and a wide range of ornamental items. Synthetic substitutes for ivory have been developed. 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.
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.
Teeth and tusks
Teeth and tusks have the same origins. Teeth are specialized structures adapted for food
chewing. 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.
Teeth and tusks have the same physical structures:
Pulp (tooth),
dentine,
cementum and Tooth 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.
Ivory in art
.
Paleolithic
Cro-Magnon man, during the late stages of the
ice age, were the first to carve in ivory (mammoth tusks).Both the Ancient Greece and
Ancient Rome 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 white 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 Antiquity.
The Chinese have long valued ivory for both art and utilitarian objects. Southeast Asian kingdoms included tusks of the Indian elephant in their annual tribute caravans to China. Chinese craftsmen carved ivory to make everything from images of Buddhist and Taoist deities to opium pipes.Martin, Steven.
The Art of Opium Antiques. (2007). Silkworm Books, Chiang Mai
The Indianized Buddhist cultures of Southeast Asia, including Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos and Cambodia traditionally harvested ivory from their domesticated elephants. Ivory was prized for containers due to its ability to keep an airtight seal. Ivory was also commonly carved into elaborate seals utilized by officials to "sign" documents and decrees by stamping them with their unique official seal. http://www.asianart.com/articles/thai-ivory/index.html
Ivory Carving in Thailand Retrieved on 08-30-07
In Southeast Asian countries where Muslim Malay peoples live, such as Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, ivory was the material of choice for making the handles of magical
kris daggers. In the Philippines ivory has also traditionally been used to craft the faces and hands of Catholic icons and images of saints.
Tooth and tusk ivory can be carved into a vast 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.
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
poaching 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, Namibia and Botswana claim that ivory trade is necessary—both to stimulate their economies and reduce elephant populations which are allegedly harming the environment. A
1999 study done by Oxford University found that less than one percent of the five-hundred million US dollars ivory sales generated ever reach Africans; most of it goes to middlemen and vendors. However, in 2002 the United Nations partially lifted the ban on ivory trade, allowing a few countries to export certain amounts of ivory. The effectiveness of the policy is in question, in light of the study preceding the ban, and an updated study would be needed to evaluate the current state of the ivory trade.
In
2007 Ebay, under pressure from the
International Fund for Animal Welfare, made the decision to ban all international sales of elephant ivory products. The IFAW found that up to 90% of the elephant ivory transactions on Ebay violated their own wildlife policies and could potentially be illegal. The ban does not affect trade within the
United States but only trade between sellers in different countries.Antique Week, July 9, 2007, Page 1
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.
The 2006 Zakouma elephant slaughter in
Chad is one of a long series of massacres which have eliminated some percent of the original 300,000
African elephant population of Chad in only four decades.
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.
The demand for ivory is primarily from the Japanese
seal (Chinese) industry. Hankos are small seals. Traditionally, these hankos were also made from other material. Ivory hankos were introduced only in the last century.
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 , Peru and Colombia.http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/04/26/vegivory/index.html
Types of ivory
- Elephant and mammoth ivory from the tusks of bull elephants and mammoths
- Walrus ivory from the tusks of a bull walrus
- Warthog ivory
- Hornbill ivory, derived from a bird, is not true ivory but resembles it
References
See also
External links
- Ivory mobile phone made in China
- Commercially-available tagua (vegetable ivory)
- Ivory and the Elephant 700 page overview of Ivory production, and role in archeology, art and jewelry by George Frederick Kunz
Ivory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ivory is formed from dentine and constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals such as the elephant, hippopotamus, walrus, mammoth and narwhal.
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