Quality of Ivory

T

TheBook

Ret Professional Goof Off
Silver Member
I would think that there is a way to rate ivory based on different parts of the tusk and quality of tusk? I am sure that some cuemakers are very fussy about what they use while others will throw on anything. How do you know what ivory you are getting when you order ivory ferrules or joint?

Thanks
 
TheBook said:
I would think that there is a way to rate ivory based on different parts of the tusk and quality of tusk? I am sure that some cuemakers are very fussy about what they use while others will throw on anything. How do you know what ivory you are getting when you order ivory ferrules or joint?

Thanks
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If you are speaking about Elephant ivory then I have found that there is little difference between the ivory from different locations of the tusk. The outer part is supposed to be tougher then the center cue ivory but I don't see any difference in how it cuts. The outer part of the tusk has slight cracks and defects that must be removed (I save that portion for knife scales).

I don't know of any cuemaker that "throws on" any ivory parts.

Ivory is becomming more and more difficult to acquire. A few years ago I could buy whole tusk with no problem. Now it is next to impossible. I am thankful that I have sufficient supply on hand now to last me the rest of my life.
 
TheBook said:
I would think that there is a way to rate ivory based on different parts of the tusk and quality of tusk? I am sure that some cuemakers are very fussy about what they use while others will throw on anything. How do you know what ivory you are getting when you order ivory ferrules or joint?

Thanks
Click to expand...

The part of the tusk that is below the skin surface is hollow. From there it becomes thicker, til it reaches a point where it is solid. From there it is solid all of the way to the tip. It has always seemed to me that the whitest Ivory on each tusk is near the tip & the hollow parts seem more tan in color. You can get Ivory that is very white & there is some that has a definite dark grain through it. All Ivory can be bleached to a perfect white color. I don't buy the tip section, but prefer the 12 ' cut behind the tip section. Something about 4"-6" in diameter. When I 1st started buying Ivory, it cost about $80-$90 a pound. Now it's about $200 a pound. The part near the surface has close grain lines, much like that of a tree. I prefer these parts for my inlays. I like the looks of the grain. The nearer to the center you go, the farther apart the grain lines are...JER
 
TheBook said:
I would think that there is a way to rate ivory based on different parts of the tusk and quality of tusk? I am sure that some cuemakers are very fussy about what they use while others will throw on anything. How do you know what ivory you are getting when you order ivory ferrules or joint?
Click to expand...

Buy it from a pro. David Warther.
http://www.ivorybuyer.com/
 
BLACKHEARTCUES said:
If you want WHITE Ivory from David, you have to ask for it that way. Then he will split the section & send you the whitest. Otherwise you may get a section like I did, that had VERY DARK tan grain...JER
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Did he change his site, I always ordered, and he had a Cue Making list for us? Joints, Butts, inlay stock, and ferrules?
 
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