Featured Nice little pick at local antique store

They were marked "Not Ivory"
Apprx 4" tall.

 

funny how they look like ivory........ and in your location , not unusual......
lots of schreger

 

Wow, they are beautiful. Great find. There is something about the schreger markings on his back and on the bottom that gives me pause, the store may have been correct. That cross-hatchings pattern is generally in the cross section cut and I don’t know how it would show up on his back location. The color is not good for old ivory to my eye as well. That all said, again they are beautiful.
Let’s see what others opine.

a good read, but specifically page 9 and 31
https://cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/resources/pub/E-Ivory-guide.pdf

 

i thought the same thing. especially on the back of one, they look more engraved in
but could be decorational

theres parts that really do look like ivory with the cracking and the pale areas to the thighs

 

It's funny because as Charlie & Marco said-sections looks ivory & sections look resin-strange.

 

I have to say resin and for various reasons looking closely. That doesn’t mean they’re new by no means. imo

 

I'm looking for resin bubbles , and think I see a few...... but it's a hard call from these pics...

 

The schreger lines are most visible on a cross section, but they can be seen on other areas of a carving depending on the angle exposed. The tubules that create them spiral up the entire tusk.

If they are not ivory, they are frighteningly good imitations.

But I agree there is something odd about the appearance of these, particularly the bases. There is a flatness and uniformity to the color, but that may just be the lighting. There should be a dark center point, if actual ivory, but his may be (intentionally) obscured by the signatures, which look look awfully squiggly.

Is there a chance that the proprietor of the shop would give you an honest answer if you ask him/her about the labelling as "not ivory"?

 

I've never seen "Not Ivory" that has such nice schreger marks.

 

My passing thought of concerns,

here’s a pair of beauties I have, they are most likely very late 19th to early 20th.


Here is the back shoulder schregers, note that they are spaced differently and not perfectly parallel,


Here is the bottom, as @2manybooks states, the dark mark is the nerve that runs inside. The schrehers(although tuff to see) do not run in a perfect circle around center, as if they were purposely placed. Cutting wasn’t finished as to be part of the display.

also, in the next two images observe the top of the flower tips, ivory is not transparent or translucent.

It could just be the photo but the ear looks translucent in this shot.


Additionally, as mentioned the marks on the bottom appear a bit sloppy for ivory done so beautiful. Given the time it would take to make, I would expect a proud mark. Not one that looks rush due to volume.

It’s always hard to identify ivory through photos, and I can be way off of my observations. Holding it and seeing all its flaws and perfections has no substitute.

 

They are not Not Ivory.

 

They are ivory. I wouldn't have bought them if they weren't. I have only handled a few 100 pieces in the last 30 years. They were perfect for my collection.

 

They really are fierce and fabulous!

 

‘well that settles that.

 

If they were marked Not Ivory it's possibly because you can't sell it any more in many places. I was selling items that were French Ivory (early plastic) that got pulled from Ebay until I listed it as plastic.