Featured Netsuke info and figurine resin or bone?

I have 3 netsukes that I am pretty sure are ivory therefore I will be keeping them but would like to pass on info about them to my daughter. I think we may use them as closures to a homemade purse/bag. There are some marks on the bottom that look like writing which could be signatures or lucky sayings. Any help on age or any other info on an of these is helpful. The other is a resin or possible bone figurine. it has a small chip on the little house in his hand. It chipped very white. I think he is very well carved so possible bone. I am assuming Chinese.3.25 " It is heavy for size and cold to the touch. Anything else I should look for to determine bone or resin? Thank you.

 

Looks like resin to me & your observations support that assessment.

No doubt there are exceptions, but don't think bone is generally used for items this size. Hard to get a solid chunk that's big enough. The determination to be made is ivory or resin.

We're going to have to ask you for more photos, in focus, closeup so we can really see the material in question.

 

Please post a photo of the bottom of the figure in question. That is where the most diagnostic features might be visible.

 

Which 3 are netsukes? I only see one with a single hole visible and later another picture of 2 holes but no indication of which item the are in or where on it.

 

all three have two holes. I just ran out of allowed pictures. I was mostly trying to see if anyone could read the characters on the bottom. The larger figuring is not a netsukes.

 

Bronwen asked for more pics of figurine. Hope these help.

 

Oops, sorry Lark, I wasn't clear. I really had the 3 netsuke in mind but it can't hurt to go over this guy more. I was already pretty well convinced he's resin & don't see much here to challenge that except this one place, the proper right of the helmet:



It's too blurry to tell what's going on there. What can you tell us?

We need pix that are at least this close, in focus. Does whatever you're using have a macro setting?



Right now I'm on the fence with these 3; sometimes I think I see signs of ivory, sometimes not. We're trying to spot any areas with the characteristic grain of ivory. We're looking for this (Schreger lines):



Or this:



As for the marks, looks like all 3 have one mark that's the same, 2 have the second mark in common, & the third has a mark different from the others. Think they are in the equivalent of cursive. Would think signatures if not for that smaller mark they all have in common.

 

I am going to try again on the Netsuki . I had to wait until the sun came out. See if these are better. I would love it if they weren't ivory! actually. The last photo is of the side of the helmet on the figurine a 8power.

 

The netsuke are looking like ivory from here. Let's see what others say. The other guy still looks like resin.

 

Thanks Bronwen I agree the more I look.

 

Thank you all for your help. My daughter will make good use of the Netsuki. She claims she was born on the wrong continent!