Readers frequently write to ask, “Can I sell this?” And our article on the Top 14 searches last week brought a lot of discussion in the comments section about what is selling right now. Remember that styles and tastes change. What is selling today isn’t necessarily what will be selling tomorrow. You hear about the […]
What to Do With Ivory
What to do with ivory is one of today’s toughest questions. A reader wrote: “My mother’s upright piano is quite old and I’m sure the keys are ivory. What are the laws on ivory? I inherited this piano and don’t know how to handle the problem. She wanted my niece to have it, but the […]
Costume Jewelry 1950–1975
Modern jewelry designs by a few individual artists and craftsmen were quickly copied in costume jewelry during the 1950s. There was something for everyone: unusual jewelry of copper; traditional pieces made to look like real gold; imitations of ivory, precious stones, pearls, and almost every other material used in precious jewelry. Enameled copper jewelry was […]
Ivory
Ivory refers to material from not only elephant tusks, but also the teeth of whales, mammoths, boars, and other mammals. Elephant ivory is now on the endangered species list and cannot be used for new jewelry.
Moths
Moths will attack ivory and bone and the larvae will make small “pinholes” when they hatch. But don’t use the out-of-date tip that says you should put ivory in the freezer to kill moths. According to the Ivory Education Institute, about 10 to 15 percent of the weight of ivory is water. The water collects […]