The Right Way To Tackle Ivory Collection

If you are interested in collecting ivory, you have to make sure that you are very aware of the law that comes with this kind of hobby. You wouldn’t want to get into trouble just because you have started on something that can make you happy and something that you really adore. You have to take note that there is a ban that prohibits the collection of elephant tusks where such object comes from.

Legal Collection

The most common kind of this object that can be legally collected are the ones that come from older elephant tusks or from the mammoths that are considered extinct for quite a long time already. You can still find lots of hobbyists with ivories that came from the mammoths, but no one is really sure if the collection’s fate will soon follow the road that its source led and that is to extinction.

Many people consider this object a beautiful artistic piece. Its collection began many centuries ago, while people were also learning to carve it to create various masterpieces to please their artistic eyes. Such object can come from many kinds of animals, such as on the hornbill, walrus and sperm whale, but what is considered as real comes from the tusks and teeth of elephants and mammoths.

It was in the 1970s when a ban was declared for hunting elephants for their tusks. There may be some people who have pieces that came from elephants, but most of them have the materials that were gathered before the ban was pronounced. There may be some people who don’t abide by the law and continue to hunt elephants for their tusks so that they will be able to earn by selling the collectible items or keeping these for their own personal purpose. If you happen to see anyone that is into this activity, you must not hesitate to warn them or get help from the rightful authorities to stop them from continuing with such. If they won’t be stopped as soon as possible, even these elephants may only exist on history books in years to come.

The object can also be obtained from the hippopotamus teeth. This type is also quite common like the ones that came from mammoth tusks. The kinds that are acquired from the teeth of the hippopotamus are often used for inlays, buttons and items that are utilized on a flat surface. In China, the popular kinds are the ones that come from the beak of the hornbill. This can produce various collectible and wearable designs, small brooches and buckles. To create markings of tiny objects that can be hand crafted in an artistic way, the materials that come from the sperm whale and walrus are utilized.

It is very much okay to start a hobby or give in to your clamor for art and beauty that includes collecting ivory. You have to make sure though that you are not causing any troubles to anyone or anything, not unless you want to mess the whole thing up by getting caught red handed.