How do you feel about necklace made out of ivory?

Question

My son's girlfriend showed me a pretty necklace her mother bought her from eBay. It was a moon with a face in it and it was made out of ivory. She was so proud of it, but I didn't like it. I didn't even know you could buy ivory from eBay. Her mother is so good about recycling, caring for animals, the environment, etc. Her family are vegetarians because they feel it's not right to eat meat. They would never wear fur either. How much sense does it make then to go out and support the ivory trade?

Answer 1

this makes absolutely no sense at all. These types of acts are what is leading to extinction of animals. When a pocher takes down an eliphant thay just cut off the ivory tusks and leave the rest. A complete waste. This is completely illegal and no one should support it.

Answer 2

Well, you can be in two minds about this. One - You can be horrified that this necklace has been bought, and that it is made out of elephant tusks. In this opinion, they should not support ivory, because they do not eat meat or wear fur, and fur is just like tusks, an animal's outer covering. Two - you can be fine with the ivory, because, hey, its recycling, after all, the elephant doesn't need it once they have died. It is a very sensitive topic, but it is your choice, and you will be respected, whichever side you take.

Answer 3

I'm wondering why e-bay would allow anyone to sell elephant ivory. Coming originally from Canada I'm wondering if the "ivory" wasn't walrus ivory. The only way to tell the difference between the two is with an x-ray. Walrus ivory is not banned and is not putting the walrus population in jeopardy.

Answer 4

Some cultures including the inuit people (Eskimos) can legally use and sell artwork made from ivory. I myself know a native who does so. Sometimes they are made from mammoth ivory (already dead) and most times the walrus ivory is from a hunted animal that they eat. I for one have no problem with eating meat and just because something is made of ivory doesn't mean it was from poaching.
We shouldn't judge.

Answer 5

i think it is ok if it is an artifact, in some areas this was outlawed not too long ago. They should be careful some areas do not allow ivory without proper documentation.

Answer 6

Just don't expect to buy it on ebay and be apart of the Fine Arts Community. This is also like any Fashion wear , there are Designer Fashions, then there are Retail Fashions.

Answer 7

Was it an antique? Is it possible it was "faux" ivory? Was it produced before laws were set about killing for ivory? Was it elephant ivory or from the tusks of another animal? Many items that are labeled "ivory" are actually made from Alaskan or Northern Canadian walrus tusk, and none of the walrus goes to waste. All parts are used by tribal members for food, clothing, religious ritual, etc.

Just killing any animal for the sole purpose of adornment of a human body is wrong, in my opinion, but if the entire carcass is used responsibly, it's okay with me. I own an antique ivory cribbage set that came to America with my ancestors in the 1790s, but I would NEVER buy anything made of ivory that was killed recently.

Answer 8

It is so easy to condemn based upon inadequate facts. It is impossible to judge a necklace based upon another's word that is is made from ivory.

First, it may not be ivory, even if the person who sold it and the person who purchased it both believe that it is. Real ivory can be confirmed but one must know how. It also might not be elephant ivory. It might be bone, horn or even synthetic resin.

Second, it might be ivory, even elephant ivory, but made prior to international bans on the trade. This might be legal, but not necessarily the most moral. If it is an old piece of jewelry, the best that can be said is that it reminds us how primitive human outlook has been toward the animals with which we share this planet.

Next, it is possible to be recently made from old ivory. Some jewelry is currently being made from recycled antique piano keys. This is especially true of smaller scrimshaw pieces.
The ebony wood (black keys) and ivory (white keys) would end in a landfill or worse if this recycling was not done. The ivory might be from an animal killed 150 years ago. This does not make it any more moral, but it is much different than buying a piece from an elephant killed last month and smuggled into the country.

Humans are the most arrogant beings on planet Earth. Many believe that they are pure because that try to avoid using products directly made from animal remains. Is making a belt from leather which came from a road-killed deer as sinful as leather from a domesticated cow? How about the diabetic whose insulin came from a pig? Should one keep great-grandpa's beaver top hat? Or grandma's fur collared coat?

Please do not jump to conclusions. Please do not make accusations based upon limited information. You might find it more productive to talk to the people who have not thought these matters out than to rant about their behavior to others who might agree but but have no influence over future ivory transactions.

Answer 9

I've seen lots of fake ivory, most of it's tooth, camel, hippo, ect.
When you go to Africa, they will sell you any thing as the real item when it's not.

Answer 10

Absolutely none, since an animal had to die to allow someone to make ivory jewelry.. In some parts of the world, it is criminal to take an animal with ivory or engage in the commerce of ivory.. In Asia, Rhino horns are considered aphrodisiacs. The shrinking elephant population to an endangered level, dictates none be taken for their ivory.. A worldwide ban on the sale of ivory, would criminalize the sale of ivory,however, poachers ,and corrupt government officials would still turn their backs so that the ivory trade will continue, until the last animal with it is killed.. Just like the almost extinction of the Buffalo, with their slaughter, from the trains of the west, letting passengers shoot them from the trains for sport.. Then let them lay where they fell ,to rot!! Its going on now, with the netting of the sharks in the ocean, cutting off their dorsal fin, and returning them to the ocean to die.. DISGUSTING!! Everything is about money and profit today..Its not that these hypocrites, don't realize that all the animals one by one are becoming 'endangered' .. They just don't care!!! Their actions speak louder than their shallow words.. DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO!! SOLOMON

Answer 11

That particular artifact exists. It can't be put back onto an animal at this point. How does bearing ill will toward it advance any of the causes you mention?