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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;2manybooks, post: 897307, member: 8267&quot;]I think what we are finding is that it is often very difficult to distinguish certain materials from photographs alone. Distinguishing features may be very subtle, and difficult to photograph. On these particular beads, I have suggested that they are &quot;typically&quot; made of ivory, but also that the chipping at the ends may argue against ivory. [USER=2844]@Any Jewelry[/USER] feels that the striations visible could be consistent with tagua nut. I was at first resistant to this idea, but I have closely examined an example of tagua that I have in my collection, and have found that on some surfaces there are very faint striations, appearing somewhat like finger print swirls. These were only visible on a few of the multiple surfaces. They do not appear as distinct as the striations on these beads. I also see merit in [USER=5833]@Bronwen[/USER]&#039;s suggestion that the oval beads, at least, may be a different plant material altogether.</p><p>Here are photos I was able to take of the tagua (I particularly like this example because the carver kept the outer shell of the nut, making it clear what the material is):</p><p>[ATTACH=full]200032[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]200033[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]200034[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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