Properties of Ivory?

morphine

Hey

I am very curious about ivory and have been for some time….i know that it is a substance from the tusks/teeth of the elephant, walrus, sperm whale and hippopotamus.

What are the properties of ivory?
Have you had any personal OR second hand experience with ivory?
What are your general feelings about it?

I am thinking of purchasing a vintage ivory necklace for myself, but not finding much information!! So I would greatly appreciate your input! Thank you!
 

Emily

I'm not sure that Ivory has any properties. I know my sister used to collect old ivory, it used to get very warm when you handled it and I didn't like the feel. I think the majority of what she had was elephant ivory and that was probably why I didn't like it.

I did try to do a google search for you but nothing relevant came up. Maybe other members might do better.
 

morphine

That’s interesting; thank you for your input. I haven’t as yet asked the person which ivory it is, but of course I will be making the enquiries, just too curious. Yes, as I've mentioned i am struggling with the info
 

Emily

There was one piece of Ivory in my sisters collection that felt different to the others, it was a letter opener, looked the same as her other bits, had an elephant on the top of the blade and was an off-white colour, like old ivory.

I commented on the fact that this felt different - it wasn't until later that she found out it was a plastic fake made to look and feel like ivory. LOL
 

Dusk Till Dawn

I live in a Town, which they used to call the Ivorycity. Years ago , they hand carved them , they are allowed to sell whats left, but not make anymore.( from Elephants and Mammut, I even had a little Mammut carved Teddybear) . I used to collect all kinds of Healing Crystals, and since I was a little Girl had quite a few Jewelry pieces of Ivory. As of today , I have a pendant , Ying and Yang made of Ebony and Ivory, that I know I will always keep. As far as I know, they are no healing properties, but I like the feel of it.It feels like Amber, not cold not really warm. Just smooth and adjusts to your body temperature. They are not allowed to carve ivory anymore, so make sure you get a nice piece now, and pass it on one day.As for me, the Ebony and Ivory pendant, will be passed to my Daughter one day, along with my other collections.
 

Dusk Till Dawn

I forgot: If you select a piece, make sure you see some fine lines in it, depending on the age of the piece, you can see more or less lines. They do have pristine White Ivory, which is usually coated, but you can still notice some fine lines!
 

Haunted Wood

I can only find information on colour symbolism of ivory...I don't think that ivory has any healing properties or significance. It may mean something in certain cultures though? I would never wear ivory as I'm a vegan so that's pretty much how I feel about it.
 

morphine

Oooh!! I reaaally appreciate your replies, thanks a lot.

Hmm, have to say that I am surprised that that there appears to be little significance to ivory, I say this because one of my mother’s friends (who lives abroad) makes jewellery out of bone and, she had some pieces made from mountain goat horns and she told us that they symbolizes courage and freedom.

Seeker*13* - your pendant sounds very beautiful, you’re lucky. And thank you very much for your advice! The piece that I have my eye on looks like a hand carved flowers beads of various sizes…

Grapefruitmoon – yes, apologies for not stating the obvious vegan clash. I really liked your reply too
 

diane drizzy

I don't know much about ivory, however the methods used to obtain it were often brutal and sad. I can't imagine any healing properties because of this. It would seem to carry an unhappy aura to me. Just my opinion.
 

Oddity

Bone, tooth, horn, skin, fur, feather are body parts from living beings. Body parts can be used to create a link to the specific animal it comes from and to the Animal Spirit behind every animal of its kind, if that is your particular spiritual path.

But. This is important:

These body parts are not just any items, they come from living, feeling, thinking, loving beings. To get them means someone has to die. (exception: feathers and some horns that are shed regularly.)

Body parts can be used in healing work, and lots of other work. This works NOT because of any inherent quality of the bone, tooth or claw itself, but works through the link to the animal. The bone itself has NO healing property in itself. In itself, it's just bone, hair, tooth, same things as you yourself are made of. Calcium, keratin, protein. Nothing special, no big deal.

Superstitions like "tiger tooth gives you stamina" is just one thing that makes humans hunt some species to extinction. Please don't contribute to that kind of misuse. (This is not to anyone specifically but a general plea to all.)

Consider animal spirits, and cultures that honestly work with the animal spirits. These cultures know that it is extremely important to show respect for the animal whose spirit you want to work with. Otherwise your remedy is useless at best, and at worst you could be in big trouble.

Consider what kind of connection you will have with the spirit, if the body parts you are using have been taken from the animal, without respect?

Do you think the spirit of, say, an elephant - hunted, hurt and slaughtered for the money its tusks are worth - will be a spirit happy to heal and help? Just a thought.

This is why I personally think it is a very bad idea to use body parts for any kind of spiritual work, unless you know exactly where it comes from. You are workiing with someone, not something.

Using body parts requires thought and respect, and taking responsibility for every step that has lead to you holding the bone, tooth, or whatever part.

Worldwide, animals are hunted to the brink of extinction for their body parts, that people believe will cure potency problems or hair loss or whatever superficial illnesses. I can't possibly imagine that there can be anything healing coming from that kind of misuse and abuse.

As diane drizzy said, too much painful baggage.

If you want ivory, use mammoth ivory. It is legal, because the mammoth can't become any more extinct than it already is. ;)

I hope this post doesn't come across as harsh or accusing anyone, but I needed to say this. The post is written in honesty, to give information and to provoke thought, not to make anyone feel bad.

These things are, in my opinion and experience, things that need to be addressed and considered if anyone is thinking of working seriously with body parts of animals. Everything has karmic consequences, especially if you are using something that someone else had to die so you eventually could own it.

Blessings,
/J.