natural materials.
Ivory a smooth grained material which is made from the tusks of elephants, walruses and other animals with tusks. It is creamy white in color, usually with a cross hatching type of grain. Sometimes the finish is very smooth and other times, it has more of a natural texture. . Not ivory will show this cross hatch grain. It depends on the way that it has been cut, but it will always have a prominent grain mark of some sort. This photo clearly shows the cross hatching grain under magnification.
Although bone has a similar look, it does not have the telltale ivory cross hatch grain. The grain line in bone is more often a series of fairly parallel lines. Bone also often has pits and other imperfections which are not usually apparent in ivory pieces. The finish is normally natural looking, not smooth and finish. The following photo is a good example which shows the grain of bone as well as the pits and imperfections often found in it.
Ivory is highly collectible and the import of it into the USA has been banned since mid June 1989. Items labeled pre-ban ivory are those which were made and imported into the USA earlier than this period. Ivory has a much higher price tag than bone does.
One way to determine if the item is real ivory is the hot pin test. BEWARE: I don't normally recommend pin tests. Use this only if you don't mind damage if your item is not ivory, since you will damage a synthetic piece for sure. True ivory is virtually impenetrable with heat. To use the pin test, take a large pin or needed and heat the pin until it is red hot. Poke your item somewhere that will not show. If it is real ivory it will not penetrate, but will only leave a tiny mark. Bone is also resistant to heat but not as much as ivory, so if your mark is much larger it is more likely bone. (also ivory smells like burning teeth and bone has much less of a smell.
Here are a few examples of some pre-ban ivory jewelry items.
