Ivory, Ivory Gifts

Ivory is described as an unbreakable, whitish and solid and dense substance that is in fact a huge part of the teeth and tusks of animals namely including elephant, hippopotamus, walrus, mammoth, and narwhal.

The term "ivory" was by tradition applied only to the tusks of elephants; in actual fact, the word is from an Ancient Egyptian âb, âbu "elephant".

Ivory carving is perhaps one of the most ancient traditions still prevailing in many parts of the world and exclusively in India.

It is so truly been described as one of the splendid and graceful crafts that was created by the Vedic literature.

Ivory carving refers to some sort of embellishment and ornamentation of ivory that is done by making use of sharp cutting tools, either mechanically or manually.

The ivory figure of Khufu, for the builder of the Great Pyramid, is beyond doubt well thought-out to be excellent work of art. Ivory carvings have also been discovered in the tombs of prehistoric Chinese rulers.

From the time of Roman era, ivory has been an admired medium for Christian art. Numerous boxes, which held religious relics or pricey jewelry, were made of ivory.

The ivory was typically acquired from the tusks of live elephants that were found in India, and in Roman times, from North Africa.

Ivory harvesting led to the extinction, or near-extinction of elephants in much of their earlier range.

Items chiefly comprising elephants with riders, figurines and ornaments were decorated with exquisite work. A lot of effort and labor was put into these but eventually it all turned out to be worthwhile once the final product was ready for display.