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What is cultured ivory?
The term "Cultured Ivory" is a misnomer. A cultured pearl is made by a perfectly spherical plastic bead placed between the living oyster and its protective shell. This irritat…es the oyster, who then adds minute layers of a pearlescent coatings to the bead. A natural pearl forms around a piece of sand, and can take many years to reach a good size. A cultured pearl can reach the same size in less than two years. Cultured ivory is nothing but a fancy name for 100% polymer resin, aka plastic. Some retailers would lead you to believe that cultured ivory is made from a thick liquid or paste containing ground ivory & bone, which is then shaped, hardened, and carved or scribed. No manufacturer ever made such a claim. There is no ivory in cultured ivory. Authentic Victorian-era scrimshaw was scribed onto true ivory, in the form of whale & hippo teeth, and walrus & elephant tusks. Modern scrimshanders do the same today. In the 1970s, several companies started mass-producing resin repros of scrimshawed whale teeth, etc., in which the design image was built into the metal mold, and impressed into the hot plastic poured into the tooth-shaped mold. Tens of thousands of each design were made. All such items are called "Fakeshaw". Other terms used to describe the same are faux scrimshaw, museum-quality reproduction, and scrimshawed cultured ivory. (MORE)
