Aguanga Sunshine Imports

Bone Carvings  Look for darker dots and dashes in the carving. Sometimes these are just a few in select areas and other times they are very distinctive as shown above. Bone is NOT ivory. Most bone carvings have bottoms that are inserted as a plug or added base.  A design pattern is often etched around this insert to help hide the lines as shown above. This should not be confused with the design pattern often found on fine walrus ivory carvings from Japan (See below)
Walrus Ivory  A design pattern is often made around the marbled secondary dentine as shown below. This distinctive "crushed ice" look sets walrus apart from all other ivories.

Synthetic Ivory  Take a close look at the detail areas. Look closely at the photo below and you will see the round, ball-like areas inside the crevices and holes. This is residue left from the mold. Also remember that OLD does not mean REAL. Synthetics have been used for over 100 years.

Another thing to look for in Alabaster is the common signature of the Italian artist A. Santini. These works are mass

produced and are NOT ivory or carvings. They are reproductions.