Bark Mammoth Ivroy vs. Mammoth Ivory

C

catloverx8

Joined
Nov 5, 2007
Messages
104
So because I am new to the wonderful world of CRKs, so I was wondering if BF members could explain the difference to me of Bark Mammoth Ivory verses Mammoth Ivory? Is one more desirable than the other? Is one more valuable than the other? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
 
Bark is the outside of the tusk, it usually has more character and colors. The mammoth ivory is the inside of the tusk, the color is usually "ivory" (white to off white) and tends to be a uniform color.
Bark is more desired by most because of the coloration.
 
I think I can help you out. The difference between Ivory and Bark is basically texture, color, pattern. Ivory is going to be what most people think of when the think of typical ivory such as elephant tusk, walrus etc. The bark is the outter layer of a tusk for example, and the ivory is the inner core. Bark is going to have texture and pattern as its been exposed to atmosphere, use, etc. The ivory is going to have little variation in pattern, but will vary from white, yellow, caramel.

Here is a picture of an Ivory inlay...you will see it is almost white. In my opinion the whiter the better for ivory.


And here is an example of Bark


You can see the cracks in the bark, and different colors like greens, and blues. Again my opinion is the more cracks, and the more green and blues, the better.
 
Many years ago I showed my wife a new William henry i had just purchased from AG Russell that had beautiful pure white mammoth ivory handles. Her comment was, "that looks like plastic to me....." I was crushed and never fully recovered and it does still look like plastic to me in many pictures. I currently have several ivory mnandis that are white and the only reason i have them is they have special features like unique rare damascus blades like spirograph and vines & roses, or the special gold/diamond inlays that CRK used years ago for some special high-end mnandis. The rest of my mammoth mnandis are mammoth bark which I greatly prefer due to the color variations and uniqueness of the bark, different strokes for different folks......ALL ivory mnandis are special.
 
Thanks for the invaluable information. I guess I will now be on the hunt for a Bark Mammoth Ivory on a Sebenza. Hoping I find the colors I think I want. *fingers crossed*
 
I prefer the look of the bark-built in character
I can't remember ever seeing a bark scale I didn't like on some level
 
XxdrpxX said:
I think I can help you out. The difference between Ivory and Bark is basically texture, color, pattern. Ivory is going to be what most people think of when the think of typical ivory such as elephant tusk, walrus etc. The bark is the outter layer of a tusk for example, and the ivory is the inner core. Bark is going to have texture and pattern as its been exposed to atmosphere, use, etc. The ivory is going to have little variation in pattern, but will vary from white, yellow, caramel.

Here is a picture of an Ivory inlay...you will see it is almost white. In my opinion the whiter the better for ivory.


And here is an example of Bark


You can see the cracks in the bark, and different colors like greens, and blues. Again my opinion is the more cracks, and the more green and blues, the better.
Click to expand...


Excellent explanation with nice examples. Let me add that the color of the mammoth bark ivory is mostly influenced by the minerals in the earth, covering the fossil mammoth. Depending on the region (for instance Canada, Siberia) were the mammoth ivory was found, the combination of minerals inside the earth can vary a lot, which makes the colors so much different.
 
Another here that prefers the outer bark over the inner ivory. You asked about pricing, there is a small price premium for the bark.
 
Thanks all for the helpful information. I also did a BF search and read through an older discussion from a few years back and that also was very helpful. Like I said before, my search begins now. Wish me luck.
 
It looks like CRK is releasing the last of them this morning
 
Last edited:
Anne R told me several months ago she thought it would take at least a year to finish filling the remaining ivory orders they had so they'll be dribbling out to various dealers occasionally for some time
 
Lotsa Mammoth ivory just dropped in KSF.. Better hurry... There's one that just beautiful but in small...
 
Just ordered the one I wanted the most in Bark in KSF, but got so excited that I forgot to get my Free Paracord bracelet. Had to call and talk to Tyler and he said he would fix it my screw up. Can't wait for it to arrive. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top