Mammoth ivory
Organic gem
Also called Fossil ivory
Take care.
- Sensitive to heat: Keep it away from heat and sudden changes of temperature, including hot lights and ultrasonic cleaners.
About it
Tusk ivory of woolly mammoths thawed from permafrost in Siberia, Alaska, and the Yukon. Its Schreger angles are sharper than in elephant ivory; legal in most places, though some US states, including California and New York, ban its sale.
- Type
- Organic gem
- Group
- Tooth and tusk (dentine)
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 2–3
- Specific gravity
- 1.7–2
- Lustre
- greasy, dull
- Colours
- cream, tan, brown; outer bark brown or blue
- Transparency
- opaque
- Cleavage and fracture
- none; splintery fracture
Typical values: real specimens vary. For more, see mindat.org.