Hatching Turtle carving by Louie the Fish!

Aloha Y'all and Merry Christmas!

I haven't posted anything in awhile, but I did this elephant ivory carving today, Christmas day, for a lovely lady from Samoa. I want to also let you all know that I have become a Facebook addict, and I have posted a very large album of Carving photos on my Facebook Profile page. You can find my page under Louiethefish DeNolfo or via my email at [email protected]
Hope you all have a happy holiday and a prosperous New Year!

Mahalo, Louie the Fish!

On 2009-12-25 18:50, Louiethefish wrote:

but I did this elephant ivory carving today,

Serious? I thought that was against the rules...

Nice to see you posting your work again!

On 2009-12-25 22:15, bananabobs wrote:

On 2009-12-25 18:50, Louiethefish wrote:

but I did this elephant ivory carving today,

Serious? I thought that was against the rules...

Elephant ivory was banned as in import in 1989, but there are tons of pre-ban old estate ivory available, all legal, on the internet. It is still tightly controlled today, but through game management the African elephant is no longer endangered, and thriving in many parts of Africa.
What is illegal is any Marine mammal ivory, such as Walrus, whale, whalebone etc. I stay away from these materials no matter who tells me where its from.
Mastadon ivory is also available, but it is so unstable, that it is not good to carve wearable jewelry as it will crack from body heat.

About legal vs. illegal ivory - just something I found - I realize some may find it biased as it's an environmental group's posting but it does give some vital info:

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2004/2004-09-24-01.asp

My mom has some ivory jewelry purchased prior to the ban and now she won't even wear it because she's so embarassed at having bought it in the first place. My dad won an ivory cribbage board while stationed in Japan during the Korean War. They just recently decided to display it with their other Asian art - it's absolutely beautiful - but of course, the shame! THE SHAME!