Can you tell real Ivory when you see it?

I have some Netsuke Figurines, that I think are made of Ivory, but recently some people have told me that they think they are just Plastic. Do you know how to tell the difference? Respond to my add and I can email you a picture of them and maybe that can help. I was interested in selling my figurines, but I dont know what they are worth. Can you help me out with this?

Hi. According to this article: http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Do-You-Tell-Fake-Ivory-From-Real&id=1025288, it can be hard to tell the difference from looking. But the article describes what sounds like a simple “hot needle” test that you can do to determine if it is plastic (or resin) or real ivory.

If they do test as real ivory, I’m afraid I have no idea what they are worth. Maybe you can find some similar ones on sale online? I’ve also heard people mention this site where you pay a small fee and supposedly an expert tells you what your item is worth: http://www.wiw2u.com/. But I don’t know how reputable they are.

Good luck to you.

Old Man & Boy Fishing – Mammoth Ivory Netsuke $150.00 Highly detailed Mammoth Ivory Netsuke depicting and Old Man and Young Boy returning from a successful day fishing. Excellent detail down to the twists in the rope and the weave of the basket. ~ This wonderful piece measures 2.5 Inches Tall and 2 Inches long and has the traditional netsuke holes – signed by the artist….

Horse with Monkey Netsuke The traditional Japanese kimono lacked pockets. Netsuke were devised as a means to hang pouches, thus enabling the wearer to carry a number of personal items. A practical invention that filled a very specific need over a period of 300 years, netsuke evolv…

Lizard on Log ~ Iron Wood Netsuke $42.95 Lizard on Log Iron Wood Netsuke ~ Approximately 2.5 inches long.. has the netsuke holes… signed by the artist. Handcrafted in Hong Kong….

Erotic (homo-erotic) Netsuke Erotic (homo-erotic) Netsuke, two men, one holding towel and the other with huge penis, hippo ivory, 2″ tall, artist signed. Wonderful carving….

Erotic Netsuke Erotic Netsuke. Unusual “bondage” Netsuke. Partially nude woman tied to huge sandal. Fossil Mammoth Ivory. Artist signed….

Erotic Netsuke Erotic Netsuke. Hippo ivory….

Crab ~ Netsuke Crab Wood Netsuke ~ Approximately 2 inches long… has the netsuke holes signed by the artist. Handcrafted in Hong Kong….

Sanrio Hello Kitty 2012 Tatsudoshi New Year Limited Dragon Netsuke Cell Phone Strap (Black) $6.40 Approx. H: 3.2 x W: 2.7 x D: 1.5 cm…

Sanrio Hello Kitty 2012 Tatsudoshi New Year Limited Dragon Netsuke Cell Phone Strap (Magatama) $7.00 Hello Kitty Approx. H: 3.2 x W: 2.7 x D: 1.5 cm/ Magatama Approx. H: 1.5 x W: 0.9 x D: 0.6 cm…

Poddities NETSUKE iPhone 4 Cell Phone Strap Attachment $20.00 …

Netsuke $14.98 "There is the time before you open Rikki Ducornet’s "Netsuke" and then there is only the time in which you are reading–a searing present of heart-swallowing secrets, warped eroticism, betrayals, and insight trellised against the page in nightshade-gorgeous prose." –Forrest Gander "A novelist whose vocabulary sweats with a kind of lyrical heat." "–The New York Times" "Linguistically explosive. . . . Ducornet is one of the most interesting American writers around." "–The Nation" Ruled by his hunger for erotic encounters, a deeply wounded psychoanalyst seduces both patients and strangers with equal heat. Driven to compartmentalize his life, the doctor attempts to order and contain his lovers as he does his collection of rare netsuke, the precious miniature sculptures gifted to him by his wife. This riveting exploration of one psychoanalyst’s abuse of power unearths the startling introspection present within even the darkest heart. The author of eight novels as well as collections of short stories, essays, and poems, Rikki Ducornet has been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, honored twice by the Lannan Foundation, and the recipient of an Academy Award in Literature. Widely published abroad, Ducornet is also a painter who exhibits internationally. She lives in Port Townsend, Washington.

The Netsuke Bear $29.98 Jay Hughes, ex-USA carrier pilot, dismissed for insubordination while saving his wingman, is living large in London, and falling in love with a nun. His wingman, Straight Arrow, a Native American, lives two miles away, their bond as strong as ever. Straight Arrowas Japanese girlfriend Keiko, a netsuke dealer, disappears without a trace. The search for her leads from London to Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, Australia, Taipei, and back to London. An organization they canat identify is trying to kill them, with politicians in Washington and New York lurking in the shadows, pulling the strings. Keiko coveted a mysterious netsuke of a mother bear cuddling her cub. All who had owned it had died violent deaths. All the more reason she had to have it.

World of Netsuke: The Werdelmann Collection at the $123.98 Amassed over more than thirty-five years, the Werdelmann Collection at the museum kunst palast D sseldorf is one of the most important netsuke collections in the world. It provides a unique survey of this Japanese art form created to adorn men’s sashes, which was at its height between the late seventeenth and the early twentieth centuries. Comprising more than 1,000 objects, the Werdelmann Collection is remarkable for the inexhaustible diversity of motifs executed to the highest standards of the craft. The themes represented include alien beings and foreigners, Chinese and Buddhist figures, the various states and professions, scenes from everyday life, children, mythical creatures, flora and fauna and masks. Each piece is illustrated in brilliant colour illustrations and extensively described, incorporating the most recent netsuke research. An impressive publication, this book is bound to become a sought-after reference for collectors, connoisseurs and aficionados of netsuke. Text in English.

Ninth Netsuke $17.5 No Synopsis Available

The Art of Carving Netsuke $26.48 A new title on the intricate skill of creating Japanese netsuke, traditionally created for practical reasons (to secure a valuables pouch to the sash of Japanese garments), yet now highly collectible works of art. Concise, step-by-step instructions are accompanied by numerous color photgraphs taking the reader through a wide range of projects. This book will inspire carvers of all abilities, from the relative beginner to the experienced and dedicated carver to create their own superb, miniature carvings reflecting Japanese tradition.

Fashion (Hands-On History) $4.99 This colorful book looks at the practical clothes worn by people through the ages. It also examines the distinctive styles, fashions and materials adopted by different cultures throughout the world. Try creating your own Roman toga or a Japanese Netsuke Fox, and discover the fashions of the past.

The Hare With Amber Eyes $4.16 264 wood and ivory carvings, none of them larger than a matchbox: potter Edmund de Waal was entranced when he first encountered the collection in the Tokyo apartment of his great uncle Iggie. Later, when Edmund inherited the ‘netsuke’, they unlocked a story far larger than he could ever have imagined… The Ephrussis came from Odessa, and at one time were the largest grain exporters in the world; in the 1870s, Charles Ephrussi was part of a wealthy new generation settling in Paris. Charles’s passion was collecting; the netsuke, bought when Japanese objets were all the rage in the salons, were sent as a wedding present to his banker cousin in Vienna. Later, three children – including a young Ignace – would play with the netsuke as history reverberated around them. The Anschluss and Second World War swept the Ephrussis to the brink of oblivion. Almost all that remained of their vast empire was the netsuke collection, dramatically saved by a loyal maid when their huge Viennese palace was occupied. In this stunningly original memoir, Edmund de Waal travels the world to stand in the great buildings his forebears once inhabited. He traces the network of a remarkable family against the backdrop of a tumultuous century and tells the story of a unique collection.

The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance $3.33 264 wood and ivory carvings, none of them larger than a matchbox: potter Edmund de Waal was entranced when he first encountered the collection in the Tokyo apartment of his great uncle Iggie. Later, when Edmund inherited the netsuke, they unlocked a story far larger than he could ever have imagined The Ephrussis came from Odessa, and at one time were the largest grain exporters in the world; in the 1870s, Charles Ephrussi was part of a wealthy new generation settling in Paris. Charless passion was collecting; the netsuke, bought when Japanese objets were all the rage in the salons, were sent as a wedding present to his banker cousin in Vienna. Later, three children including a young Ignace would play with the netsuke as history reverberated around them. The Anschluss and Second World War swept the Ephrussis to the brink of oblivion. Almost all that remained of their vast empire was the netsuke collection, dramatically saved by a loyal maid when their huge Viennese palace was occupied. In this stunningly original memoir, Edmund de Waal travels the world to stand in the great buildings his forebears once inhabited. He traces the network of a remarkable family against the backdrop of a tumultuous century and tells the story of a unique collection.