Ivory necklace

Hi

I have owned this ivory necklace for probably 12 years or so, and I’ve the past couple to years considered selling it on. I understand the laws that are in place and the restrictions here in the UK on selling ivory. I know for sure that this necklace is definately not modern ivory and would have been produced and acquired long before the ban came into play. To my knowledge it’s circa 1900’s, possibly even older. My question is how do I go about getting this certified as antique ivory so that I am able to sell? Also what do you think the value of this would be - is it worth even worrying about if it’s not going to be worth anything significant, I may just as well keep it....I’d also love to know the true age of this piece but unfortunately the clasp is not the original as I know that could have helped determine its age. I have heard that there are tell take signs that can indicate the age of ivory , so any info on the above would be great

 

I don't know about the UK, but here in the Netherlands (also EU) official state certification requires a document by a state recognized appraiser. The appraisal report with the appraisers photographs and seal probably costs as much as the necklace is worth, because the appraiser charges by the hour.
It could be worth it if you have more ivory, tortoiseshell etc items to be appraised.

 

okay thank you

 

I can't see the whole clasp, but the end I can see suggests these aren't antique if the hardware is original. If they're fossil ivory or walrus you might be OK if you can get them certified.

 

No, as I said the clasp is not original and is not the type of clasp used on such pieces.

Apparently the cracks in the ivory are an indication of their age. I know for sure that this is definately pre-1930’s because of where it came from but it would be nice to be able to be more precise in the true age...

 

I have a few pounds of 10,000+ year old ivory which does not have any cracks.

 

Cracks are an indication of the conditions they were kept in. If you were to keep new ivory (a nono anyway) in bright, hot sunlight, it would develop cracks in a few years.

Cracks can also be the result of poor dental health care.

 

I hear you - it was just something i read. As I said I know for sure its early 1900's because it was my grandmothers necklace, who was born in 1912 and at some point was given the necklace by HER mother! Unfortunately, I never got round to establishing much more than that because Ironically i was given it when she passed as part of her inheritance

All-in-all its not overly important, I just thought it was worth a shot as I would love to know the true age - it could even date back as far as the 1800's, I guess I'll never know Thanks guys

 

I only have a few things that belonged to my paternal grandmother-I’m lucky that one is a gorgeous pair of her diamond earrings. On the maternal side, I only have an iron chopper lol.

If I owned a beautiful ivory necklace with generational history, I’d never sell it and IMO the value is minimal even if it could be sold and certainly not worth trying to get it certified.

• Wear and enjoy it or gift it to someone in your family. You have enough info to know that it is most likely a true antique and whether it’s first quarter 20th century or last quarter 19th century doesn’t really matter on this particular piece as far as value goes.

 

Just so we're clear..... it's lovely...and looks older.. & that's a nice story about it being passed down.....
but...
if your grandma was given the necklace when she was old enuf to wear it...say 21 years old.... that's 1933....
if she got it from her mom ...passed down when she was 40...that's 1952....
There's nothing to say that your great gramdma didn't buy it new...as a gift, or didn't get it herself.....in the 1920's...

Just saying...... family stories are nice and wonderful.....but no indication of an items age without knowing when it 1st showed up..

 

Thanks for all the input and comments guys! I think it’s fair to say that wherever there is a ‘maybe’ it’s quickly followed by a ‘what if’. Of course each point made and question raised makes perfect sense, and is the exact reason why I thought it might be worth a shot at breaking down some of the what if’s and maybe’s by making this post! I have, however established that it’s pretty much impossible to determine the exact age of this ivory necklace, and I take everyone’s point on board and am more than happy to ‘keep it in the family’ which feels like the right thing to do once again many thanks to everyone for their input