Jeremy K Posted January 26 Report Posted January 26 Sorry about the photo quality. I can send more photos, but I have a hunch you can sufficiently determine, from these, that all my “Netsuke” are not of Japanese origin. Makes me sad to know they could have been sourced unethically Quote
Matsunoki Posted January 26 Report Posted January 26 8 minutes ago, Jeremy K said: but I have a hunch Sadly your hunch is correct. It’s a very sad state of affairs which the politicians and law enforcers of the world have all failed to deal with for a variety of reasons…..mostly ignorance or monetary. Quote
Jeremy K Posted January 26 Report Posted January 26 (edited) Thank you for the news; sad and disheartening as it may be. I’ll try to think of how I can use these items in ways that honor the creatures who needlessly suffered so somebody could make a dollar. I’m open to suggestions/ideas. Thank you. Hoping for Peace Edited January 26 by Jeremy K Quote
Matsunoki Posted January 26 Report Posted January 26 1 hour ago, Jeremy K said: I’m open to suggestions/ideas. That depends on what your local ivory laws are. It’s an admirable objective but the law might get in your way☹️ If it is legal to sell them where you are you could just put them in a sale and donate proceeds to a suitable charity. Google should tell you. I join you in your hope! All the best. Quote
Bugyotsuji Posted January 26 Report Posted January 26 Unfortunately I think you are right, Jeremy. Possibly she bought them before the stringent ivory laws were introduced under Obama, but none of them look really old. Quote
Hokke Posted January 26 Report Posted January 26 they look small enough they could be made from elk teeth Quote
Bugyotsuji Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 9 hours ago, Hokke said: they look small enough they could be made from elk teeth Good point. Although some of them are made of elephant ivory, it is not easy to say what others might be, and I've never come across elk teeth before. Quote
Jeremy K Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 I think I’ll include them in some art projects I have planned for the near future. While I have no illusions that any artwork I can create could ever be as beautiful as anything created by nature, I believe that the spirit(s) of those beautiful creatures can live on, in a way, in a new form. Thanks to all for your thoughts/ideas/assistance and for sharing your knowledge. Quote
Hokke Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 2 hours ago, Bugyotsuji said: Good point. Although some of them are made of elephant ivory, it is not easy to say what others might be, and I've never come across elk teeth before. As I understand it, there is no way to distinguish elk tooth ivory from elephant ivory, they are the same composition. Not all elk teeth are ivory, only two per animal, but still a more sustainable source of the material for small things like netsuke. 1 Quote
Bugyotsuji Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 Smaller, for ojime perhaps? Do they have crisscross schreger lines internally like elephants and mammoth tusks? Learn something new every day! 1 Quote
Hokke Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 21 minutes ago, Bugyotsuji said: Do they have crisscross schreger lines internally like elephants and mammoth tusks? Learn something new every day! Had to look that one up, great question. Its seems yes, the lines are present in all naturally occurring ivory, however, the angle of the crisscross will vary. Learning something new indeed. 2 Quote
Matsunoki Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 2 hours ago, Hokke said: but still a more sustainable source of the material for small things like netsuke. …….unless you’re an elk☹️ 1 Quote
PietroParis Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 I always thought that Schreger lines occur only in elephant and mammmoth ivory. A quck google search doesn’t provide any evidence of the contrary. https://cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/resources/pub/E-Ivory-guide.pdf 1 1 Quote
Hokke Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 1 hour ago, PietroParis said: I always thought that Schreger lines occur only in elephant and mammmoth ivory. A quck google search doesn’t provide any evidence of the contrary. https://cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/resources/pub/E-Ivory-guide.pdf Ah yes, you may be correct. When I did my initial search I looked only to see if the lines were unique to elephants only, which of course they are not. However, thanks to you and making a deeper dive, looks like you are correct, elephants and mammoth only. 1 Quote
Hokke Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 8 hours ago, Matsunoki said: …….unless you’re an elk☹️ I agree of course, I dont think ANY animal should be illegally hunted for any one thing, whether it be horn, tooth, tusk or skin. However, since elk have a much shorter lifespan with a much great population, it is far easier to find and harvest their ivory versus that of an elephant. Quote
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