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I am no ivory expert. I have over time been able to learn a little about ivory. Over the next few days I will attempt to relate some of what I have learned. My passions are historical weapons, their use, African hunting and smithing so it has been a good basis for research on the subject.
Let me preference this material with a comment. Elephant populations are more stable now than they have been in over 70 years. Yes the populations have declined. The ivory you buy today is NOT killing another elephant! In the very near future ivory will not be available to us as consumers because the deminished stock piles.
Ivory had been used since ancient times for the handles of all weapons. As the pistol became the prefered personal weapon, ivory followed and became the most sought after grip materials. It still is for many.
I will only talk about elephant ivory since it is the most common. Ivory is a hard bone material. It is easy to carve and easy to finish. It has a warm feeling to the touch and is very durable. Think of the material as you do your own teeth. When you grind on ivory you'd swear you were in the dentist chair.
In 1964 ivory sold for $30 a pound in Kenya. By the 1970's the price had escalated to $225 per pound. At the height of ivory sales in Central Africa the price had gone to $650+ per pound.
In 1989 the CITIES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) ban on ivory trade included the biggest end users of ivory, U.S.A, Japan and the European Community.
By 1990 ivory had fallen toless than $5. per pound in Cental Africa.
The only ivory imported into the USA since 1989 has been a very small amount of legal, sport hunted, trophy ivory. It has very little, if any, influence on the current commercial market
A typical set of 1911 grips weighs in at 2oz. I would venture to think it takes 8 oz or so of ivory to make a set of 1911 grips. Average cost today...$200 for a finished set of grips.
The ivory available to US consumers is very limited. The prices will continue to escalate with time and the scarity of the resourse.
I will try to give you some does and don't about ivory, samples and comments on the current makers, fake verses real ivory and some photos of ivory grips that I appreciate.
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Let me preference this material with a comment. Elephant populations are more stable now than they have been in over 70 years. Yes the populations have declined. The ivory you buy today is NOT killing another elephant! In the very near future ivory will not be available to us as consumers because the deminished stock piles.
Ivory had been used since ancient times for the handles of all weapons. As the pistol became the prefered personal weapon, ivory followed and became the most sought after grip materials. It still is for many.
I will only talk about elephant ivory since it is the most common. Ivory is a hard bone material. It is easy to carve and easy to finish. It has a warm feeling to the touch and is very durable. Think of the material as you do your own teeth. When you grind on ivory you'd swear you were in the dentist chair.
In 1964 ivory sold for $30 a pound in Kenya. By the 1970's the price had escalated to $225 per pound. At the height of ivory sales in Central Africa the price had gone to $650+ per pound.
In 1989 the CITIES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) ban on ivory trade included the biggest end users of ivory, U.S.A, Japan and the European Community.
By 1990 ivory had fallen toless than $5. per pound in Cental Africa.
The only ivory imported into the USA since 1989 has been a very small amount of legal, sport hunted, trophy ivory. It has very little, if any, influence on the current commercial market
A typical set of 1911 grips weighs in at 2oz. I would venture to think it takes 8 oz or so of ivory to make a set of 1911 grips. Average cost today...$200 for a finished set of grips.
The ivory available to US consumers is very limited. The prices will continue to escalate with time and the scarity of the resourse.
I will try to give you some does and don't about ivory, samples and comments on the current makers, fake verses real ivory and some photos of ivory grips that I appreciate.
