Featured THOUGHTS/INFO ON ORIENTAL CARVED BONE(?) HANDLE LETTER OPENER

I found this at a 'pop up' tent estate sale over the week-end. I believe it's bone because the grain is straight (instead of the tic tac toe pattern of ivory grain).
Any idea of it's age?
Is it japanese or chinese?
Anything other info of value would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

The handle looks like it should be on a Japanese (style) walking stick. Maybe a marriage?

 

I thought that too; looks like the ivory cane handle I asked about last week but bone.

 

I agree that the growth pattern looks more like bone than ivory.

 

Acknowledging the limitations of examination through photographs, I believe it is ivory. Elephant tusk can develop cracks along its length, similar to bone. The distinctive cross hatching on ivory is often difficult to find - it will be apparent on surfaces that are cross sections of the original tusk. Look carefully at all surfaces of the carving. There is no bone in a typical animal skeleton that could yield a solid ball such as the head of this piece. The largest bones are either flat (like a scapula) or hollow (like the shaft of a femur). The head of a femur is also not as dense as ivory. It is difficult to get as high a polish on bone as ivory. Most bone, if examined under magnification, will show tiny pores for the blood vessels that originally fed it.
With that said, there is also the possibility that it is cast resin, which would show none of these characteristics.

 

I'm going with bone , also..
unless it's a casting....

 

Agree completely. I ran through all the same thoughts. I was leaning toward ivory from the side views, but top/cross section doesn't look right to me. Without being able to handle it, it is difficult to be certain. Journey, if you did not pay much for it, that would be an additional argument for one of those shockingly realistic resin replicas China is churning out.

 

I'm also going with bone.

 

My thoughts are possibly ivory...I am leaning towards a resin.

 

So we've got it narrowed down to bone, ivory or resin.

 

I'd say the elephant tusk they got it from had a bone crown, with a partial resin filling...

 

Ivory and quite old (pre 1850 at least) cast bronze blade? Japanese for sure.....very nice

 

7th picture looks clearly like fake ivory to me. This is the pic that should show holes for bone or Schaeder lines for ivory but nothing there. Don’t think the blade looks old either. They have been faking ivory for a long time.

 

There are no actual dimensions posted,so my guess is antler.

 

its japanese!

 

I have the exact same item. This makes me thing it is something mass produced. Mine is a leter opener and a magnifying glass set. What are the chances?

 

Hi Cindy!

Welcome to Antiquers..............

 

I don’t see evidence of resin (popped bubbles, little balls in crevices), a bone would have to be very thick to get enough material for the carved ball part, and I can’t see the blood vessel punct or lines.
The lines can be like that on an aged piece of ivory, and Shregger lines or cross hatch pattern isn’t always showing, depending of the part of the tusk carved... To me it is carved, not molded.

 

Welcome Cindy.
I think it is very likely that many of these were carved in small workshops as early souvenirs. Someone would make the first one, and others would copy it.

 

Hi, Cindy. You can help settle this if you will tell us, or, better, show us, whether the knobs on your pieces are identical to each other in the look of the carving (or 'carving') & the argument will really end if OP's is exactly like your two.