Once used as stays in ladies' corsets of Victorian times, umbrella ribs, return springs for harpsicords, and mammith whips, it was regarded as nature's plastic because there is some elasticity to thin pieces. Cross section of narwhal mammoth ivory knife scales for sale showing cementum and dentine layers with pulp cavity in the middle. The pair in this picture measures 60 cm 24" from horn tip to horn tip and weighs 7. There are some home-made and professional remedies available. Please email or call and we can provide a list of pieces available. Narwhal Tusk - Monodon monoceros Nammoth narwhal tusk see picture of cross section is formed from a modified left upper incisor tooth.

Fine longitudinal black cracks occur in the cementum of walrus tusks and on into the outermost portion of the primary dentine. These 'breathing cracks' are common on tusks, more on the outer rather than the inner side of the tusk and they occur only outside the gum line. The surfaces of the tusks aren't always absolutely flat. They can naturally grow in a convoluted shape with longitudinal dips and grooves which can enhance some applications.

Tusks are formed on both the male and female walrus. The males tend to produce heavier set, more impressive tusks than the females.

Their size lends them to larger sculptures and applications where larger piece size is an issue. A common size for males is 1. The female tusks are more slender and have less taper going from the base to the tip.

Typically, the length of female walrus tusks is similar to a male but the base is more round than oval, say 4 cm 1. Walrus Skulls Walrus skulls are impressive. Unlike most marine mammals, walrus skulls are well armored given that they must anchor the tusks used for haul-out, feeding and fighting.

Walrus oosik is a dense bone popular for carving and knife handles. Typically, they are 45 to 50 cm " in length and 2 to 4cm There is only a small porous core that leaves plenty of thickness for carving or shaping. These walrus teeth are located behind the primary tusks behind the canine teeth. In wood working they are used sliced in inlay or in mask making. The narwhal tusk see picture of cross section is formed from a modified left upper incisor tooth.

The tusk is a beautiful spiral of varying tones of white. Narwhal tusks occur on males — rarely on females. Very rarely there are double tusks on one male. The narwhal tusk consists of an outer cementum layer and one inside dentine layer. Inside the dentine is a pulp cavity that extends down most of the length of the tusk, narrowing in diameter and finally disappearing towards the tip of the tusk. Through history the narwhal tusk has been associated with the unicorn and has been associated with mystical properties.

It was said for example in Viking days that a cup made from the tusk of a narwhal would save the owner from poisoning by his enemies. There is much speculation on the purpose of narwhal tusks in nature. Suggestions have been made including mate attraction, communication and determining water temperature and maybe salinity. Living in a hostile arctic, ice ridden environment it is important to be able to source open water for breathing.

It is not thought that the tusks are used in fighting. Just recently, a video was taken showing a narwhal fiercely wagging its tusk in the vicinity of a fish. The object was to stun the fish for food. Skull of female narwhal showing 25 cm 10" residual tusk on the left side. This residual tusk resides within the skull and doesn't normally protrude - it does so here for the sake of the picture. Male narwhal skull with tusk.

Mandible shown in front of skull. We no longer offer skulls and we include the photo out of possible interest. Cross section of narwhal tusk showing cementum and dentine layers with pulp cavity in the middle. The relative diameter of the cavity depends on the animal age. In older narwhal the cavity will all but disappear. Muskox horn polishes to a beautiful translucent caramel colour with opaque white streaks.

The pair in this picture measures 60 cm 24" from horn tip to horn tip and weighs 7. The single is much smaller at 1. The 'boss' portion of the tusk refers to the part of the horn that attaches to the tusk to the skull. Interestingly, muskox horn can be molded or formed with the application of steam. Non-toothed whales have a number of baleen plates arranged as overlapping shingles. Along one edge hairs act as a sieve with which to extract food from the water.

The whale baleen also taper from the top to the bottom edge along the length. The source of baleen is intermittent. Some northern communities are given a rare licence by Canadian Federal authorities to harvest a whale. Occasionally there is natural mortality found. Baleen from the bowhead whale has a streaked dark grey coating over a jet black interior.

Once used as stays in ladies' corsets of Victorian times, umbrella ribs, return springs for harpsicords, and buggy whips, it was regarded as nature's plastic because there is some elasticity to thin pieces. There was high demand in Europe in the 19th C. It is used today in carvings or as accent pieces in carvings and also reverse scrimshaw white on black. Baleen will take a high gloss with polishing. These Sperm whale teeth have a long history for carving, scrimshanding and collecting.

They were imported into Canada in the early 's from off shore sources, prior to trade bans being put in place. Available for sale in Canada only. Mammoth is now extinct anywhere from 10, to , years. Mammoth ivory is a beautiful medium to work. From Canadian origin, long buried in the permafrost this material can exhibit some colour taken from soil minerals on the outside cementum layer. Typically the inside is a light cream colour.

It polishes to a bright shine using jewelers rouge on a cloth wheel or to a matt finish using steel wool. It can be stained. We like to source mammoth ivory that has been dried for at least 4 years. That curing time affords the material more stability and thus less disappointment.

We do our best to pass on the history of the pieces as we know it. We have pieces of varying grades typically cut into 3 to 6" lengths. Being an extinct species, we can ship to most countries with no permit required. Both mammoth and elephant ivory exhibit a characteristic zig-zag or diamond shaped grain in cross section called Shreger lines. It is the angle of this grain which determines which of these 2 species the ivory is from.

We are now offering mammoth ivory slabs for a number of uses including knife scales, jewelry, musical instruments, pendant slabs and raw material for working on a lathe. Please email or call and we can provide a list of pieces available. Pre-ban elephant ivory is that ivory which entered Canada prior to July We respect the current conservation work of groups to maintain elephant populations in various locations of the world and we will not entertain handling illegal ivory.

It is legal to own, trade and ship pre-ban elephant ivory within Canada; post ban with permits. International trade or transporting pre-ban elephant ivory outside Canada is not permitted. I really enjoy seeing ivory art. On left, Wolf pendant with a salmon at its feet. First Nations artist in traditional westcoast style.

On the right, killer whale by same artist. On left, Owl pendant with the Moon on itsshoulder. Robert "Cymba" Vincent artist. On the right, Hummingbird pendant. On left, Frog pendant. On right, Flower Pendant. Same artist. Please click any of the Ivory Art images for a larger, more detailed version of the picture. Working with Ivory Working with ivory can be done with some of the same tools and methods as woodworking.

The bark gets its color from the minerals in the ground where it lay buried. None of these knife scales have been artificially colored in any way. Although most of these scales have no fill it is not uncommon and quite acceptable to have some small cracks or hollow spots that require some filling. These scales have been filled where needed and sanded flat on the back and the four sides. It is the texture and color found next to the most rotten ivory that makes the most attractive scales.

Many times we can get several sets of scales from the same section of tusk so we will have scales available with the same color and pattern for matched sets of knives. The sizes will vary a little. Knife scales are priced according to color, size, and amount of fill required. Scales with a little fill will be a little less expensive than completely solid scales and with very little exception will not be visible on the finished knife. If not completely satisfied when you receive your scales please return them in original condition for your purchase price.

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