Ivory
Westerners loved figures carved in elephant ivory. The elephant tusk is formed of dentine containing inumerable tubes filled with wax running the whole length. It is this wax that gives objects their polish. Another way to distinguish ivory is by looking closely at the lines within it. Cut along the tusk, these can be seen as light and dark lines. Cut through a cross-section, radiating lines crossing each other and making minuscule diamonds are visible.
Westerners loved figures carved in elephant ivory. The elephant tusk is formed of dentine containing inumerable tubes filled with wax running the whole length. It is this wax that gives objects their polish. Another way to distinguish ivory is by looking closely at the lines within it. Cut along the tusk, these can be seen as light and dark lines. Cut through a cross-section, radiating lines crossing each other and making minuscule diamonds are visible.
