Thoughts on Mammoth Ivory

Wheeler80

Wheeler80

Joined
Nov 12, 2013
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I picked up my first stag handled knife recently (GEC 82) and immediately fell in love. Now I have 4 and one on the way. While perusing various sights I've become enamored with mammoth. But man is it pricey. My question is, is there any real difference between stag/bone and mammoth or does one buy it just to say they have a mammoth knife? Thanks in advance.
 
Yep....there is quite a difference in Mammoth and stag/bone. The last mammoth on earth died probably around 4000 years ago, so naturally it is a fossil. It is also the fossilized tusk of the creature (as I understand it) that you are getting. It can be interior or exterior tusk, hence there is often great differences in the look of the mammoth handles. Weathering can also really influence the look of the mammoth.

Stag is, of course, deer antler, which is more like really tightly compressed hair, but seems to be like bone. It is not a fossil.
 
Relee1 said:
Yep....there is quite a difference in Mammoth and stag/bone. The last mammoth on earth died probably around 4000 years ago, so naturally it is a fossil. It is also the fossilized tusk of the creature (as I understand it) that you are getting. It can be interior or exterior tusk, hence there is often great differences in the look of the mammoth handles. Weathering can also really influence the look of the mammoth.

Stag is, of course, deer antler, which is more like really tightly compressed hair, but seems to be like bone. It is not a fossil.
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Thanks for your response. I kind of knew all of that. I should've worded it differently. I meant is there a durability difference? Or is the cost difference strictly because it's a fossil from a long extinct animal?
 
I carry both stag and mammoth ivory. I really haven't noticed any difference in the day to day carry of the examples I have. They both age and hold up well in my opinion.
 
Peregrin said:
I carry both stag and mammoth ivory. I really haven't noticed any difference in the day to day carry of the examples I have. They both age and hold up well in my opinion.
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Thanks, that's what I was looking for. I'll probably stick with stag but one of those Northwoods Freemont Jacks in mammoth is really calling to me.
 
Durability-wise, I'm sure mammoth ivory is just as tough as anything else, it's been around for tens of thousands of years. However, when you order, make sure that the store has a good return policy...even better, ask if they can inspect the knife you're looking at. I had a great experience with KSF during ordering/returning.

I ordered a Mammoth Ivory Northwoods Hawthorne and it was a gorgeous knife, but at the price point, I couldn't live with the gaps by both bolsters and the fact that the scales weren't flush to the springs. I ended up returning the knife. The blue camel bone Hawthorne that was sent as replacement was half the price and had perfect fit-and-finish. It seems that the price hike is for the mammoth ivory scales alone and it doesn't necessarily mean you're paying for better fit and finish.
 
Pokerface said:
Durability-wise, I'm sure mammoth ivory is just as tough as anything else, it's been around for tens of thousands of years. However, when you order, make sure that the store has a good return policy...even better, ask if they can inspect the knife you're looking at. I had a great experience with KSF during ordering/returning.

I ordered a Mammoth Ivory Northwoods Hawthorne and it was a gorgeous knife, but at the price point, I couldn't live with the gaps by both bolsters and the fact that the scales weren't flush to the springs. I ended up returning the knife. The blue camel bone Hawthorne that was sent as replacement was half the price and had perfect fit-and-finish. It seems that the price hike is for the mammoth ivory scales alone and it doesn't necessarily mean you're paying for better fit and finish.
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Thanks for the advice. KSF was where I was looking to pick one up. I've ordered some GEC's from them but I've never had to return/exchange anything.
 
Stag is bone (antler)....not at all like compressed hair....and much more stable/durable.

HORN ( sheep, goat, buffalo etc) is like compressed hair. and unless stabilized,
is not very stable at all.
 
I recently got a Northwoods Mammoth Ivory Fremont Jack. I was very impressed from the instant I saw it. I have never really been into stag or ivory before, but now I can certainly see the allure.





 
Even if the ivory is 4000 or more years old does not mean it has been fossilised.
Fossils are made of stone and minerals which replace the original material over lengthy time periods .
Mammoth ivory is simply reaally really old ivory .Its more like freeze dried and preserved from being in the swampy frozen layers of mud in the tundra.
Which leads me to think that its hard to find and that's why its so expensive and also a tribute to its durability.
Antlers are made of cartilage which is replaced by bone as they grow.
Horn is made of keratin which is what hair,nails and hooves are made of.
Ivory is made of dentin or dentine which is what teeth are made of.
 
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meako said:
Even if the ivory is 4000 or more years old does not mean it has been fossilised.
Fossils are made of stone and minerals which replace the original material over lengthy time periods .
Mammoth ivory is simply reaally really old ivory .Its more like freeze dried and preserved from being in the swampy frozen layers of mud in the tundra.
Which leads me to think that its hard to find and that's why its so expensive and also a tribute to its durability.
Antlers are made of cartilage which is replaced by bone as they grow.
Horn is made of keratin which is what hair,nails and hooves are made of.
Ivory is made of dentin or dentine which is what teeth are made of.
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Good post Meako. Beat me to it. Mammoth ivory isn't fossilized. It's not a rock. It's just really old dentin. Pretty stuff too.
 
I've often wondered how you can tell if it is genuine? Being so expensive it would be infuriating to get ripped off......
 
Also, buy from a reputable source. If your dealer is Frankie and he sells knives down the first alley, behind the third dumpster on the left, you might not buy ivory from him. Lol. Get a different dealer
 
Is that Frankie who hangs around the back door of the dental surgery?:D
 
There's only one thing rarer than a mammoth these days....
n that's a mammoths dentist.

Hey I think I just gave birth to a new similie.
"As rare as a mammoths dentist."
 
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