What to do with ivory, ethically speaking.

[kimocomplex]

I wouldn't feel guilt, but if you insist go the donation route

 

[shunyata]

I assume you're being sarcastic. I very much doubt it's worth anything or will ever be worth anything. I'm surprised my mum kept hold of it but she likely didn't know what to do with it either.

I tried to pawn a piece when I was a broke college student with really elaborate detailed work on it.

Got great advice from the pawn shop owner. He said there's a ton of it on the market and it's not actually worth that much, worth more as art or a family heirloom. He's like, just keep it.

Hold onto it, if you like it display it in your home. Even if it was worth more in the future, selling it contributes to the economy for trading ivory. If you just let it chill in your private collection, no one is making any money off the dead elephant which is what you want as a conservationist.

 

[fingercuffs]

Donating sounds like the correct choice in your case then. I'd probably end up doing the same. My morals usually win the day. I don't eat veal or foie gras so keeping or selling a totem of elephant slaughter probably wouldn't be me either.

I just spoke to my step dad about it who sent them to me with a whole host of other heirlooms and decided it's the best thing to do as well. I don't know why my mum kept hold of them for so many years, I guess she forgot where they came from. They were in a box in the closet along with hundreds of other stuff of my grandparents'.

 

[fingercuffs]

I wouldn't feel guilt, but if you insist go the donation route

Oh I don't feel guilty. And my dad shouldn't either, things were thought of very differently 40 odd years ago.

 

[Osculater]

My dad brought a lot of ivory back from Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) when he was there with the British Army during the early 80s. No one batted an eyelid then, everyone was importing/exporting with no real thought for the poor elephants. The jewellery he brought me back perished in a fire anyway but I'd stopped wearing it years ago because of how horrible it was for them.

I've recently come into some ivory ornaments which I assume he bought back for my grandparents considering one of them is quite religious.

Should I just leave them in the garage?

Sell them to the Chinese

 

[JadeOwl]

I don't really get that logic. The ivory is there, you may as well appreciate it. It's like refusing to use a plank of wood because a tree died for it or refusing to eat the meat in your fridge because an animal died for it. Isn't it more disrespectful to not use it. It's not like you're contributing today to anything bad happening to elephants.

The logic is that the larger the market for already harvested ivory, the easier it becomes to launder poached, freshly acquired ivory.

A normalized, active trade in a product with a fixed stock would also inevitably lead to an ever increasing rise in the price, which would create an incentive to procure more ivory.

So you in fact would be contributing to something bad happening to the elephants.

That is why the goal is to minimize the demand as much as humanly possible. As with any illegal trade, going after the suppliers is going to accomplish jack shit in the long run if you don't also take measures to curb the demand as well.

 

[Renard]

The logic is that the larger the market for already harvested ivory, the easier it becomes to launder poached, freshly acquired ivory.

A normalized, active trade in a product with a fixed stock would also inevitably lead to an ever increasing rise in the price, which would create an incentive to procure more ivory.

So you in fact would be contributing to something bad happening to the elephants.

That is why the goal is to minimize the demand as much as humanly possible. As with any illegal trade, going after the suppliers is going to accomplish jack shit in the long run if you don't also take measures to curb the demand as well.

I don't think you understand what I'm saying at all. OP is not talking about selling the pieces but about leaving them in the garage to rot. If they're display pieces, display them. Whether they're in a box in the garage being neglected or on a shelf makes no difference. Why are you even talking about the "market" here.

 

[Fedorgasm]

The logic is that the larger the market for already harvested ivory, the easier it becomes to launder poached, freshly acquired ivory.

A normalized, active trade in a product with a fixed stock would also inevitably lead to an ever increasing rise in the price, which would create an incentive to procure more ivory.

So you in fact would be contributing to something bad happening to the elephants.

That is why the goal is to minimize the demand as much as humanly possible. As with any illegal trade, going after the suppliers is going to accomplish jack shit in the long run if you don't also take measures to curb the demand as well.

That makes sense. But it sucks because then the best thing to do with it is to throw it in the trash.

Even if she donated it to an elephant charity, it wouldn't help them unless they sell it and use the profits to help elephants conservation efforts, but by them selling it they're contributing to the market like you said.

 

[ChickenBrother]

there's a ton of it on the market and it's not actually worth that much, worth more as art or a family heirloom. He's like, just keep it.

Pretty much this. As I understand the intent of the federal law, it's to allow people to enjoy existing family heirlooms or to otherwise sell or donate them locally without contributing to global or interstate ivory trade.

A crafted piece of ivory isn't like gold that can be melted down and sold for the material value. It's value is in the craftsmanship, basically a piece of art.

That said, it is a fairly unique material and although I'm sure there are now synthetic analogs that do a better job, it was historically used for high quality pistol and knife grips, piano keys, and frogs and tips of violin and cello bows because it was 1) attractive, 2) durable and 3) naturally porous making it grippy. I would never support the killing of an elephant to make a new one, but if I had a vintage piano with ivory keys, I'd happily keep it in the family and use it, and appreciate the old school craftsmanship.

A while back I wanted to put ivory grips on an old revolver that belonged to my dad and got some made of mammoth ivory. Trade in mammoth ivory is legal in most states because nothing is going to make the mammoths more extinct than they already are.

Mammoth and elephant ivory have an internal "grain" called schreger lines, but they are distinguishable from each other because mammoth schreger lines are at an acute angle and elephant schreger lines are obtuse.

 

[crabmeat]

My dad brought a lot of ivory back from Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) when he was there with the British Army during the early 80s. No one batted an eyelid then, everyone was importing/exporting with no real thought for the poor elephants. The jewellery he brought me back perished in a fire anyway but I'd stopped wearing it years ago because of how horrible it was for them.

I've recently come into some ivory ornaments which I assume he bought back for my grandparents considering one of them is quite religious.

Should I just leave them in the garage?

Was you father a vet of the Bush Wars?

 

[TankAbbott4Eva]

I'd hang on to it, just locked away in a safe for a few decades.

I assume the value will go up since you're not allowed to get more ivory. Then you can sell it.

Whatever you do won't bring those elephants back to life so why not make a few bucks?

this

 

[Law Talkin’ Guy]

Hang on to it until after elephants are extinct, then sell it.

 

[Brigfa2]

No different than eating meat and wearing leather

 

[My Spot]

Sell it and buy a FN FAL just like your pops carried in Rhodesia.

 

[Fedorgasm]

No different than eating meat and wearing leather

It's a little different. Cows aren't endangered.

And elephants are smart. You're not supposed to eat smart things.

Although by that logic you could eat several war room posters.

 

[Jesus X]

I tried to pawn a piece when I was a broke college student with really elaborate detailed work on it.

Got great advice from the pawn shop owner. He said there's a ton of it on the market and it's not actually worth that much, worth more as art or a family heirloom. He's like, just keep it.

Hold onto it, if you like it display it in your home. Even if it was worth more in the future, selling it contributes to the economy for trading ivory. If you just let it chill in your private collection, no one is making any money off the dead elephant which is what you want as a conservationist.

 

[JadeOwl]

I don't think you understand what I'm saying at all. OP is not talking about selling the pieces but about leaving them in the garage to rot. If they're display pieces, display them. Whether they're in a box in the garage being neglected or on a shelf makes no difference. Why are you even talking about the "market" here.

And unless OP puts a museum style provenance explanation card next to the pieces, any visitors to the house who recognize them as ivory might get the wrong idea.

Better to find a proper way to get rid of them.

 

[Neck&Neck]

Go to the zoo, find some elephants and give it back as a peace offering

 

[Osculater]

It's a little different. Cows aren't endangered.

And elephants are smart. You're not supposed to eat smart things.

Although by that logic you could eat several war room posters.

They probably taste like shit

 

[Osculater]

Go to the zoo, find some elephants and give it back as a peace offering

Smrt!