How to Identify Ivory Jewelry

So you have a piece of jewelry that you're considering buying, and have been told that it's made from ivory. Ivory is very valuable but can resemble bone or even some plastics. To avoid getting cheated on an expensive item of jewelry, you can perform a quick examination to determine whether it's authentic.

Instructions

Pin and Heat Test

1

Heat the sharp end of a needle.

2

Press the hot point of the needle gently against the ivory for no longer than two seconds.

3

Examine the results. Anything that melts isn't ivory. A puff of smoke and the smell of burnt hair indicate that the item is ivory.

4

Cool the needle by placing it in a bowl of water.

Line Test

5

Examine the piece with a magnifying glass. Look closely for lines or grain patterns. If the lines form "V"s, known as Schreger lines, it's elephant or mammoth ivory.

6

Look for canals in the piece. Bone has a grain that resembles canals and dark spots. Often, pieces made from bone have seams where multiple pieces were glued or sealed together.

7

Look for straight grain lines that run in one direction and straight or circular lines that run in the opposite direction. Hippo ivory is legal to produce; it'll have fine concentric lines and weigh more than mammoth ivory. Hippo ivory will also have small patches of bright white.