Pictures of Ivory Under UV Light...

[sfmc-x1]

Pictures of Ivory Under UV Light...

Does anyone have any to post up?

I'm looking through some of my cues with claimed ivory ferrules and checking them out under a black light. I also started checking out my other shafts with non-ivory ferrules, and I'm mystified by my findings.

Researching google, and the AZ archives will explain that genuine ivory and a number of ivory alternatives will become fluorescent under UV light. Unfortunately there is little to no images online that help identify the characteristics of each material for the purpose distinguishing genuine from the synthetics and how to identify each synthetic alternative.

I'm taking a few right now, if I can get the focus right, I'll have some up shortly.

 

[sfmc-x1]

Couple of pic's
4 shafts.

 

[sfmc-x1]

A few more.
5 shafts. 4 are the same from previous pic's.

 

[sfmc-x1]

Last set...

 

[sfmc-x1]

Informative bump:

In the first set of pic's the top 2 ferrules(3 & 4) are ivory.

(left-right)Shaft 1 was never assumed to be ivory, shaft 2 is claimed to be ivory.

Study the 4th pic and you will see vertical grain lines that are not absorbed by the UV light on shaft 2. By the naked eye under natural light those grain lines are faint, and not as noticeable as the horizontal lines you can see that would have you dismiss the ferrule as a linen based alternative. Either way, one would not suggest it was genuine ivory.

Shaft 1 does not have any Schreger lines, clouds, blotches, or swirls. Obviously not linen based, but translucent like the other two ivory ferrules.

In the second set of pic's a 5th shaft was added. That shaft was assumed to be Juma. It came from a custom cue that has a Juma joint and a Juma butt-cap, but it absorbed the UV light the same way as shaft #2 did with strange vertical grain lines. Under normal light both of those ferrules appear to be the same material.

In addition, the Juma joint and butt-cap absorbed the UV light and became a opaque purple color. The white in a set of Aramith balls became a pale yellow.

 

[desi2960]

not conclusive

'What you have to remember, not all ivory is florescent under UV light, some will react to the light and some will not. So this test is not perfect

 

[sfmc-x1]

'What you have to remember, not all ivory is florescent under UV light, some will react to the light and some will not. So this test is not perfect

Of course.

Outside of old fashioned visual inspection, and the use of UV light, the last test is the hot poker bit. I don't think there is a cue owner here who would subject any part of their cue to see if it has genuine ivory at the cost of that test.

Ultimately I'd to see this thread be available and expand as a resource to those who would appreciate being able to distinguish the difference between ivory and all popular alternative materials including Ageis, Ivorine, Juma, Melamine, Micarta, etc.

This kind of information may be important in a buyer/seller situation where previously it would've been listed as unknown. If there is a way to distinguish said materials to the naked eye, that should be documented as well, and when possible, with photographic rich content.

Cheers.