What Is This Statue Made Of

[Maat]

I have a small statue of a horse. It was my grandmothers now mine.
Is there a test I could do to see what it is made of. I will not be happy to have it on my shelf if is made of ivory. It is cold to the touch. All my mum could remember was it came from abroad.

[BlueToffee]

Well, if it is ivory and produced before 1939, then it's quite legal to own or sell. Don't feel too bad about it being ivory though, some of the early pieces are beautifully carved.

[Anngel]

Does the surface have multiple darkened dots or pits? If so, this is a very good indicator of it's being bone. Ivory tends to be smoother, harder, and not pitted. There is a good comment on line at this website that may help...although what mastadon ivory is lord only knows...http://www.wikihow.com/Tell-Ivory-from-Bone

[shoota]

(The Mastodon was the wooly mammoth which had tusks like an elephant, now extinct)

[Prudie]

What colour is it? Taking ivory from elephants is barbaric but not displaying it wouldn't help the cause, at least give it a purpose. I've inherited a piano from my grandparents with ivory keys, I wouldn't dream of not playing it or throwing out.

[shoota]

Apologies, I'm not as smart a smart arse as I thought I was.....
A mastodon is not a wolly mammoth

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastodon

[ummmm]

But surely ivory was taken from elephants that died a natural death.

[EcclesCake]

Sadly not Ummmm.

[ummmm]

So they have always been poached? How awful.

[Graham-W]

The tried and true method to test ivory is the famous "hot pin test". This method is used by beginners and experts alike. Because true ivory is virtually impenetrable with heat, this is a good test and will
not damage the item if it is "real". Take a pin, large needle, or better yet a large straightened out safety pin, and heat the tip RED-HOT. Poke the item somewhere that it will not show. If it is real ivory, it will NOT penetrate and only leave a tiny tiny mark. If it is a resin, it will enter the item and produce a little crater around the hole. Now the big test… smell the "smoke" that comes of the test as you are poking it. If it is real ivory, it will have that unmistakable
smell of the dentist's office when you had that filling . It smells like burning tooth. If it smells like burning plastic, it IS. Now, bone is also resistant to heat, but not as much as ivory. The smell is less (or hardly at all) and is different than that of burning tooth.

[shoota]

I think that many elephants were shot deliberately to make money in the days of the white hunter but not all ivory has been poached as the tusks from natural deaths would have been harvested already.
I think the best thing to do is to shun 'new' ivory but accept that antique ivory comes from a time when attitudes were different.

[shaneystar2]

This may help
http://answersonantiques.com/wordpress/?p=19

Could it be soapstone ? .I have a couple of ornaments that were my Mum's They are intricately carved ,look like ivory but are in fact soapstone .

[Graham-W]

Soapstone is that soft, if you rub a part not see, with your thumb nail, it will mark the stone and form what looks like talcum powder. Same with alabaster but alabaster is a bit tougher than soapstone.

[Maat]

Thank you Anngel - web site was helpful. Thankyou Blue Toffee and Prudie, I will keep it, knowing it is legal does not take away guilt. Many years ago I was given a handbag. Later I found out it was made from real crocodile - I buried it in garden. Thank you all for comments.

[ladybirder]

Ummmm only as far back as last month a whole family of elephants in Kenya was killed for ivory. Tragic and disgusting in this day and age and makes me see red. It happens all the time.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20961065

[Maat]

Thankyou Graham-W that hot pin test has proved its ivory

[ummmm]

I know Lady. Such beautiful animals.

[humbersloop]

does that test work the same way for whale ivory graham?

[marje]

On Bargain Hunt, I think it was anyway, a tip was given that if you clutch an item that you think is ivory in your hand and it goes warm then it's not ivory. If it remains cold then it is.

[Graham-W]

humbersloop. Yes, the hot pin test does work for whale ivory (that's whale tooth). It's a critical test for scrimshaw authenticity. Obviously it can't indicate the age of the piece.

[wildwood]

Pity it is not made of chocolate.