Thank you very much for looking at the cue. I listed it on eBAY a while ago hoping to make a little money towards my camera lens I want to purchase. The cue once assembled looks very nice and should make a nice addition to some one's collection.
The joint does appear to be ivory. It has a ceramic look and feel with a little bit of darker grain to it in places. The butt end appears to be the consistency a pool ball . It is like solid thick glass.
I know nothing about the history of the cue. I had it refinished I believe in the late 90's and the guy who refinished it(Mark Moore), said he believed it to be a Paradise conversion cue. He said the quality was about that of a Valley stick. He said I should put it in a closet and leave it...
I don't think the taper is as extreme as the photo makes it out to be. I could be wrong though. I will place it along a good straight edge and take another photo.