Quite why anyone thought jamming a fag in one end and huffing on the other was a great use for bits of dead elephant i have no idea.
However, someone did and i have the bloody thing that pops up everytime i sort "that drawer".
I can't sell it and wouldn't really want to. But throwing it away seems grotesque aswell for some reason.
So... Who has a good idea for a lipstick and tar stained cigarette holder.
It's going back in the drawer isn't it.
Donate to a museum? Young people might be unaware that we used to kill elephants for no better reason than the lack of plastic.
Got a local museum?
Funnel to fill tubeless tyres with sealant
Donate to a museum? Young people might be unaware that we used to kill elephants for no better reason than the lack of plastic
A good shout although in my experience of donating a few things its quite clearly going to be squirrelled away in a drawer and never seen again.
I did wonder if it had use as a source of repair/ restoration.
Funnel to fill tubeless tyres with sealant
Nah... But valve caps of the most pimpous nature is a good shout
It's insane isn't it when you think about it (how these things were used), but a museum is a good shout so it reminds people how 'shoot' humans can be.
watching with interest, we have an ivory carved playing card case that has been in the family for over 100 years, that we also can't bring ourselves to take a hammer to
Atleast you can put cards in that.
I am not against using items of ivory in a pure "i will keep this going as long as possible" effort.
I mean i also feel the same about cutting down trees but my collection of CITES registered wood is bloody well getting put into something.
not the sort of thing I'd be comfortable pulling out of the drawer though and explaining it to friends. It's (rightly) a bit eyebrow raising
If it's a distasteful object and it has no positive memories or connotations then I'd have no qualms in smashing it and binning the pieces.
The you can stop re discovering it in your drawer and having this anxiety over and over again and again.
It's not your fault it exists but you can take it out of circulation.
Give yourself the peace.
If it were me, I would treat it like one of our dead pets and give it a dignified burial in the garden with grave goods, to help the dead animal in the after life.
My mum has an ivory puzzle ball on a stand.
I suspect it is from my gran who spent time in India in the 1950's.
I've not seen it out on display for quite a while but assumed it was off display as my oldest is 5 and younger is 1- prime grabbing and smashing then asking questions later age.
Much like this. I notice 0 mention of what white material this one is made from
The craftsmanship is exquisite, but I think I'll let it go to my sister when it gets passed down. Assuming she wants it.
Surely you have the matching gorilla hand ash tray that they used to come with?
Personally I think burial is a reasonable suggestion. I feel sad just thinking about how it came to be. My grandad actually had miniature elephant carvings made from ebony with genuine ivory tusks. I hope to God I never see such things again
My parents have an ivory letter opener that has a carved row of elephants along the top. I think it was from my Grandpa who was stationed in Southern Rhodesia during the war.
It is exquisite and smashing it would be the wrong thing to do but killing an elephant for it was also the wrong thing to do.
As and when it ends up as ‘mine’ then I hope a museum might be interested in it.
I understand the OP’s quandary.
I don't think they are illegal if they are old/antique - I only know this as acoustic guitar nuts and bridge pins were quite often made from ivory on higher end instruments.
Totally illegal for new ones - a lot are now made from cow bone, buffalo horn or other bone byproducts from the food industry, these days... or some sort of plastic on cheaper guitars.
But back on topic, the only answer is to clean it up and turn it into a viking style drinking vessle, for swilling mead and ale from !
A guitar luthier might be interested if its thick enough to turn it into bridge pins or a nut or a bridge saddle.
You could make a film about it like some kind of Ivory Merchant.
I'm sure Matty is right, and it's legal to sell antique ivory, although I've no idea how you'd go about it.
I also find it slightly odd that most people on here are expressing such distaste for it - why is an ivory cigarette holder more distasteful than a leather belt for instance, why is the life of an elephant more valuable than that of a cow? (Yes, I know there's fewer elephants about, but I find,for example, the same squeamishness people have about eating dogs very odd when they quite happily eat bacon) We have a very peculiar way of deciding which animals are 'valuable' and which are ok to be used.
I don’t think they are illegal if they are old/antique – I only know this as acoustic guitar nuts and bridge pins were quite often made from ivory on higher end instruments.
It is illegal to sell anything made of ivory made post 1947. The onus is on the seller to prove it . Its also just banned completely on ebay unless its small ivory bits on furniture and nysical instruments. Its worth heehaw anyway.
But the main point is i wouldn't want to sell it, buying ivory isn't cool. I would happily donate it.
I mean i am really not concerned. It was more the interest of the conundrum.
I also find it slightly odd that most people on here are expressing such distaste for it – why is an ivory cigarette holder more distasteful than a leather belt for instance, why is the life of an elephant more valuable than that of a cow?
Point out the cows shot purely for their leather please.
Oh I'm not encouraging it... but the object already exists in its curent form. I think you'd need some sort of authentication if you were to sell it overseas or whatever due to (and rightly so) trade restrictions etc. to prove its not 'new'.
That said, if it's a cigarette holder in this sort of style:
I'd hazard it's pretty much worthless as there's not enough material to chop it up/sand it down into something else anyway.
Presumably they were a thing for women, as a holder prevents the fingers smelling of smoke and getting yellow stains?
Not quite as slender as that.
I could actually make it into some fret markers i reckon. If i could get something as equally tasteless to fill in the wee hole in the middle.
I could actually make it into some fret markers i reckon. If i could get something as equally tasteless to fill in the wee hole in the middle.
Tortoise shell inlay in the hole?
I'M JOKING!!!!!!!
Maybe Pearl/Abalone dots? https://www.armstrongmusic.co.uk/products/abalone-fretboard-inlays-6mm-bag-of-10
Yes that's what i came up with.
For maximum points bits from that last living giant tortoise.
Cos symbolism
Buy yourself a feather boa, a bustiere, back sack and crack wax and make a fortune doing 30s weimar burlesque on only fans
Or is it only me?
Young people might be unaware that we used to kill elephants for no better reason than the lack of plastic.
To take a more balanced view, part of it was that people enjoyed killing animals for sport.
watching with interest, we have an ivory carved playing card case that has been in the family for over 100 years, that we also can’t bring ourselves to take a hammer to
Honestly, I don’t understand the idea that a product or item made from an animal that has been dead for around a century should then be destroyed, just because it’s (quite rightfully) illegal to slaughter them now. That just means its death is now meaningless, having the item around at least means that attention can be drawn to the slaughter purely for the creation of a few decorative objects, which is abhorrent.
Even worse, in many ways, though, was the near annihilation of the American Bison - 30 million were deliberately slaughtered, instigated by the US Army, in order to subjugate and control the Indigenous population. From 1830 to 1884, the population dropped from 30 million to 325. That’s White colonialism for you…
Those skulls did serve a useful purpose - they were ground up for fertiliser.
Just had a thought - there are issues with transporting musical instruments, particularly guitars, because of CITES controls on a range of timbers used in their construction, which if you’re a working musician transporting instruments across international borders, customs can demand provenance of everything in the instruments structure.
From 1830 to 1884, the population dropped from 30 million to 325.
That's the American buffalo population, right, not the Native American population?
Point out the cows shot purely for their leather please
The cows which Rolls Royce use for their leather. I don't know if the meat is sold as a byproduct afterwards but they are farmed just for their leather. And are raised to some strict standards - for instance no barbed wire on the fences so there's no scars on it.
Does something being multi-purpose make it better? Does an elephant-foot umbrella stand improve matters as far as ivory goes?
.
Not in any way condoning the ivory trade, just commenting on how subjective the use of animals is, and how we treat some differently to others. Remember the horse meat thing? Why is horse meat different from beef? "But it didn't say it was horse meat, it was sold to me as beef" And would you have bought it if it said horse on it? Unlikely, you're conditioned to eat cow but not horse (generally, at least for the Brits).
That’s the American buffalo population, right, not the Native American population?
Yes to the buffalo. I believe the Native American population was about 50 million. And after the Native American genocide there are about 5 million left(as of today). Although in the 19th century, there would be less than that.
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As to the Ivory trinket - Burying it seems like a fitting way of disposal
I don’t know if the meat is sold as a byproduct afterwards
Any meat that has commercial value will be sold. Anything unfit for human consumption will be used for dog food.
I think they (bovines) were just slaughtered en-masse to put presure on the food supply of the native americans who only hunted them for subsistence.
And to clear land for wheat fields.
Neil Young has done quite a few songs touching on the subject, this is one of my faves...
Clean the inside, plug any hole at the pointy end, get a good fitting cap that can be romoved from large opening. Fit an adjustable strap to it. Use as fancy cycling liquid bottle carried over the shoulder on your back.
What could possibly go wrong? 😆
Buffalo bison Buffalo buffalo buffalo don’t buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
Noam Chomsky gonna buffalo you for that.
Donate to a prop house or costume designer. Angels is the largest one I know of
Farleys is another one, that’s a prop house for all the other ivory stuff people might have
I would mount it on a plinth made from a very dark, contrasting wood, though I can't really think of a dark, contrasting wood that would live together with ivory in perfect harmony right now.
Make some poison darts ,then turn it into a small( but deadly )blow pipe .
Surely the obvious answer is take up smoking and use it for its intended purpose, to ensure the poor beast didn't die in vain...
Make some valve caps, other than that donate it to a museum
This is a timely thread. I have some artwork where the art is (possibly) on ivory, plastic or board. In other words, the art isn't the ivory itself as it's covered in paint. The art is beautiful, but not my bag baby. And one of the pieces is absolutely unique as it was commissioned by my dad and I think would be of interest in a particularly nerdy way.
They actually are piano keys - so were recycled in the first place as well.
It's awkward as they have some value as art, I guess they could be donated but seems a shame to throw them in the bin.
If you have a local am-dram theatre /group, their props room would probably be grateful.
Surely the obvious answer is take up smoking and use it for its intended purpose, to ensure the poor beast didn’t die in vain…
That's a pretty boring option compared to the crack pipe idea.
Insertion tool for suppositories/Anusol 'bullets'. ??
I also find it slightly odd that most people on here are expressing such distaste for it – why is an ivory cigarette holder more distasteful than a leather belt for instance, why is the life of an elephant more valuable than that of a cow?
Because as far as I'm aware we don't make a belt and then throw away the rest of the cow.
Remember the horse meat thing? Why is horse meat different from beef?
As you say, the 'scandal' was due to contamination, ergo it was mislabelling.
How we (as a species) consume animals is wholly cultural. We eat lamb without a second thought, yet the local takeaway serving Puppy Madras or Kentucky Fried Kitten would make national news. Meanwhile, you're not going to get many Muslims eating a bacon butty but you might get a rat kebab in Vietnam.
I also find it slightly odd that most people on here are expressing such distaste for it
What I find odd is that the people outraged by it will have a carbon footprint bigger by a huge margin than the person who smoked using that ivory. They'll not notice the environmental damage that their decked and concrete gardens have caused, or their over-reliance on cars and summer holidays. They'll happily use businesses that are destroying vast swathes of the world for profit, and eat food rammed full of monocultured crops, and mutter about eco-terrorists needing harsher sentences. But, smashing up an ivory trinket will make the world a better place as far as they are concerned, and then they can carry on with their polluting lifestyles.
you might get a rat kebab in Vietnam.
This is why I only eat in McDonalds when I travel abroad.
To go along with the leather point:
Fun vegetarian fact The best argument for veganism is there is no such thing as a dairy cow. They all end up in the same place, it's just that dairy cattle are exploited in the meantime and some dairy farms don't make an overall profit on the animal until it's sold for meat. To all intents and purposed the animal is still killed for milk production (to make it financially viable).
Counter argument - I like cheese
What I find odd is that the people outraged by it will have a carbon footprint bigger by a huge margin than the person who smoked using that ivory. They’ll not notice the environmental damage that their decked and concrete gardens have caused, or their over-reliance on cars and summer holidays. They’ll happily use businesses that are destroying vast swathes of the world for profit, and eat food rammed full of monocultured crops, and mutter about eco-terrorists needing harsher sentences. But, smashing up an ivory trinket will make the world a better place as far as they are concerned, and then they can carry on with their polluting lifestyles.
+1
I don't think history is not going to judge the collective western population 1950-2050 kindly.
Could you make it in to a miniature kazoo?
Counter argument – I like cheese
Which, really, is the only argument.
People complain about "preachy vegans" but as a near-lifelong vegetarian I've heard every argument going from meat eaters who immediately go on the defensive when they find out, and 99% of it is nonsense. There are exceptions of course, but Western society in general doesn't need to eat meat, we do so because we enjoy it. Which is perfectly fine, but don't dress it up as something it isn't by harping on about depth perception or some such when the last time you went hunting was in the chilled aisle in Waitrose.
See also, Americans and guns. They have them because they like them, any other argument is either misdirection or denial. The whole point of the Second Amendment was to prevent a nutter getting in charge and running amok with absolute power so that's working out well for them.
I think i am going to try something new.
Crack pipe it is.
What I find odd is that the people outraged by it will have a carbon footprint bigger by a huge margin than the person who smoked using that ivory.
Up until a couple of weeks ago I would have assumed this is true, but then I read Not the End of the World by Hannah Ritchie and discovered that our per capita CO2 has dropped a LOT this century:
Taken from https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions
Which is not to say it's time to sit on our laurels or ignore other environmental actions, but to show that progress has happened and contiues to do so.
Anyway, back to the OP - If it were me I'd probably just smash it and chuck it for no more noble reason than I find it's presence irritating.
Just looking at that graph, what's going on during the world wars? I would assume domestic emissions are lower (consumption of everything reduced as resources go into the war effort?) but wars generally involve increased consumption of fossil fuels, increased mining and refining of metals, etc, etc. Does the former really outweigh the latter to that extent? Obviously the population reduction is good for the environment but there are more palatable ways of going about that.
And there's no similar dip during lockdown which I would have expected, given how little we were travelling for instance.
How much of the recent decline can be attributed to 'offshoring' our emissions? For instance if something is made in China and then imported here is that counted as our emissions or China's? Is the recent decline just a reflection of the decline in our manufacturing?
How much of the recent decline can be attributed to ‘offshoring’ our emissions?
This. The graph shows UK CO2 emissions due to fossil fuel and industry. It doesn't take a genius to work out why that's fallen off a cliff in the last twenty years, but to then suggest that we lead less polluting lives in this country is a bit of a leap,.
Our 1892 Grand Piano made by John Broadwood & Sons has ivory keys.
It gets played every day. It's lovely
Our 1892 Grand Piano made by John Broadwood & Sons has ivory keys.
Yeah, I was thinking about this thread and pianos last night. The discussion is only happening because the cigarette holder has no value. If it was worth any money at all there would be no ludicrous suggestions about smashing it up or burying it.
Now, how big a hole do you need for your piano? It could make a satisfying noise when hit by a sledgehammer? 😀