Ivory carvings are a classic way to show style and taste. These amazing artifacts are famous for their high quality and masterful craftsmanship. Ivory carvings owe their popularity to the smooth surface which makes duplications impossible. Generally they were made out of elephant tusks and the element is tooth. As you know teeth are actually bones.
Ivory carvings always have close-grained texture which makes the surface of the product so smooth. Even though the element is undoubtedly very hard, it is yet perfect for carving as it has little resilience which is generally not common for natural materials. Many artists and crafters would do anything to work with this wonderful material but there are only a few who actually have this opportunity.
The color of the natural ivory is unique and very popular but there are also some ivory carvings which are bleached or painted. However the majority of people prefer the natural colour of the ivory carvings because of its mellow glow and soft colour. When bleaching or painting an ivory carving, you should be aware that most of its beauty might be taken away. For example, it is as you are painting a mahogany table white.
Ivory carvings are mostly considered part of the Far East traditions. Despite that common opinion, it is known that Eastern cultures have also used this element to create wonderful artworks throughout the centuries. This material has been used in Europe for decorating houses and churches, as well. What is best about ivory carvings is that they have a timeless, worldwide appeal. They will never be out of style.
The commercial use of this element is for making keys for pianos and organs. Not everyone is aware of this, probably only those who like to "play the ivories". In the music word the element is a synonym for piano keys.
It is really difficult to find many ivory carvings. They have become scarce because the ivory comes from elephant tusks. There have been quite many decades when elephant were killed because of their tusks. Thus the number of elephants has significantly decreased in recent years.
Even though the value of the elephant tusks is huge, as it was the main reason for the death of the hundreds of elephants, people had to do something so that these exotic animals would not disappear from the face of the earth. Because of the many animal-conscious individuals and groups in protection of animals there are currently strict regulations for hunting elephants. There should be a way to ensure the creation of marvellous ivory carvings without condemning their ultimate source to death.
Author: Morgan Hamilton
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