Ivory

Ivory is a hard bone-like material from the tusks of animals, particularly elephants. Ivory has been used go make various objects, like jewelry, carvings, etc. The word comes from the ancient Egyptian word for elephant. The ancient Greeks and Romans used ivory to make small statues, boxes, and other works of art. The ancient Chinese made religious items and pipe stems from ivory. In Muslim Malaysia ivory was used to make the handles of decorative daggers. In the Philippines after the introduction of Catholicism, ivory was used to make images of saints. In the more recent centuries, ivory was used to make a variety of utilitarian products including piano keys, various handles, and parts of furniture. Much of this has now been replaced by plastic since its invention. The great demand for ivory has made elephants an endangered species and has placed limits on the trade of ivory.
The ivory beads pictured above were made long ago and are part of a necklace for sale on the Metal Jewelry Shaper web site.