Featured Iv0ry, bone or Walrus? Napkin rings

If I see old Iv0ry at a thrift or car boot I scoop it up and it stays with me.
I assumed these napkin rings were Iv0ry but studying them I’m not so sure they all are as some have Schraeger lines and others don’t.
Any suggestions as to origin, Chinese or Japanese? Or age please?
Thankyou

This one looks like it has Schraeger lines (1)


These two don’t have any lines I can see at all (2&3)

This one does (4)


And this one doesn’t! (5)

 

Ivory. The carved little figures are from Canton, so Chinese. Charming 19th century export ware.

The origin of the tigers I don't know, but also ivory.

 

Thanks AJ. Is it possible to guess early/mid/ late 19th? I’ll have a google!

 

As far as I know, Canton export ivories were made from ca 1810-1910.

 

I think you scored. PETA wouldn't like them, but you're not putting them back into circulation or killing the elephant again.

 

Ditto what AJ and evenly said!
The tiger-lioness is Japanese IMO, usually encountered on boxes or bangles, as are similarly carved typical Japanese monkeys
Beautiful! I revere old ivoryand I'd have snatched them too!

 

Ooh those are nice! I bet you’d do well if you could sell them. I particularly like the lion one. As Kyra already said my first thought was Japanese on that one!

Every time I see a box lot of Eyevoree carvings in an auction I’ll put in the opening bid if they are nice. It’s surprising how many times I’ve gotten it at that bid. If there’s really high level, bigger pieces, or good netsuke involved they often go higher. I’ve gotten some pretty dang nice lots of little carvings for opening bids though because no one wants it other than to sell and they can’t sell it.

 

I did think it could be, but then I thought of some of the tiger snuff bottles I have and got confused.

 

Out of interest I had a look on UK auctions and they do seem to be abiding by the rules as there is no ivory selling at all apart from items with a very small amount in it and some picture frames.

 

I’m happy that they are valueless if it now saves some elephants but I don’t believe the old pieces that are works of art should be destroyed, as you say it’s way too late for those ones.

 

The problem are the poached pieces, not the old ones. Around here even fossil ivory is banned.

 

I don’t recall the number but it has to be something like 10% or less of the total weight of the piece or something like that to be legal to sell. Of course it also has to be of a certain age before checking into the percentage of the objects weight. I have been hearing from a certain industry podcaster that it’s popping up more and more in the UK as of the past couple months but obv your experience was different. I have no reason to look myself really.

 

Here too.