Ivory, Bone or Celluloid? Identification — and the Law You Must Know First

This identification carries legal weight: elephant ivory trade is banned or heavily restricted in most jurisdictions (US federal rules, state layers like NY/CA/NJ, international CITES), with narrow antique exemptions requiring documentation. Identifying the material is step one of compliance, not just curiosity — and misidentifying costs both directions (destroying legal heirlooms; illegally selling restricted material).

The material tests

• Elephant ivory: the definitive Schreger lines — crosshatched engine-turning-like patterns visible on cross-sections and often surfaces (angle >115° suggests elephant vs mammoth's acuter angles); warm ivory tone with fine grain, ages to yellow patina; no pores.
• Bone: the giveaway is pore dots and channels — dark pinpoint flecks and streaks (haversian canals) under magnification, especially on end-grain; whiter, drier look; often smaller-dimension pieces (bone's size limits).
• Celluloid ("French ivory," 1870s+): molded imitation with regular parallel striations (printed grain — too even), mold seams, lighter weight, warms fast in hand; the hot-water camphor smell confirms. The hot-pin test is dangerous (celluloid is violently flammable) — don't.
• Vegetable ivory (tagua nut): small items (buttons!, netsuke-alikes) with cellular dot structure distinct from bone's channels.
• Modern resins: uniform, seamed, UV-bright often.

Blacklight helps: ivory/bone fluoresce whitish; many plastics differ. Magnification decides most cases in one minute.

The legal sketch (know your jurisdiction)

US federal: broad elephant-ivory commerce ban with limited exceptions (documented 100+ year antiques with import proof, de-minimis in some contexts) — and interstate sale rules stricter than possession; several states ban nearly all sales regardless of age; the EU and UK tightened similarly (UK's near-total ban); CITES governs any border crossing. Mammoth ivory (extinct; legal in most places, banned in some states) and antique whale products (marine-mammal laws!) have their own rules. Practical: possession of inherited pieces is generally lawful; selling is where the rules bite — documentation is everything.

What this means for your object

Piano keys, dresser sets, cane handles, netsuke, jewelry: identify material honestly (photograph grain macro — the Antique Identifier app reads Schreger/pore/striation patterns), assume sale restrictions until checked, keep/gather age documentation, and for anything significant consult a specialist appraiser who handles the category's compliance. Celluloid and bone, meanwhile, trade freely — which is most "ivory" in most houses.

The bottom line

Crosshatch = ivory (lawyer before sale), pores = bone (relax), printed stripes + camphor = celluloid (relax completely). Identify with the loupe, then let the law — not the flea market — decide what happens next.

Values mentioned in this guide are indicative ranges from public auction and marketplace results; condition, provenance and market timing move them substantially. For insurance or estate purposes, get a written appraisal from a certified appraiser.