4 ms·

It’s why you gotta burn ivory. When something is a luxury item for the wealthy rules don’t really matter you have to destroy the market.

mc32 3y ago
Ivory isn’t only for the rich customers of intricate ivory carving but also the run of the mill guy and gal going to the Chinese medicine apothecary. Not saying this exonerates the practice or anything --just that rich folk in Hong Kong/mainland CN aren’t the only ones propping the market.
29athrowaway 3y ago
Or explain people that ivory won't treat their ED. Or spread the rumor that ivory makes you flaccid.
- hanniabu 3y ago
  With misinformation these days people will just think the government is trying to keep them from becoming healthy
- Tao3300 3y ago
  I thought that was rhino horn.
bluGill 3y ago
Unless it is a piano keyboard, because musicians are aware of this and so the only pianos with ivory keyboards have ivory from nearly 100 years ago. There would be interest in new ivory by a few (generally because they have an antique piano with one broken key), but they will demand proof that the ivory was sustainably harvested (There was a park a few years back overcrowd with elephants that was looking into providing such certification, though last I've heard they haven't figured out how to do this)
- hedora 3y ago
  The technician that works on our piano reglued some of the ivory. He said that, in the worst case, he could give us a replacement, since he has a pile of antique ivory he got from the keys of ruined/rebuilt pianos. If we ever fully restore the keys, we’d opt for not-ivory.
  - Tade0 3y ago
    Every pre-WW2 piano I've seen was crooked beyond repair and untunable. I bet there are far more donor instruments than functioning ones, considering that a lot can happen in 70 years.
    - bluGill 3y ago
      There are, but not all ivory looks alike so finding a match is hard. Which is why someone who wants to restore an antique piano to new would be interested in new ivory if a sustainable source is available.
    - adrian_b 3y ago
      This must depend a lot on the humidity and temperature where the piano has been stored and used. I have a more than one hundred years old Austrian piano (made shortly before the start of the First WW), and it still works fine.
- notatoad 3y ago
  >but they will demand proof that the ivory was sustainably harvested yes, i'm sure this is true for 100% of people buying fancy pianos, and "proof of sustainable harvest" isn't at all a loophole that gets used to sustain an illegal ivory trade.
  - bluGill 3y ago
    The music industry is very good about this. Which is actually easy because there is no current source of sustainable harvest ivory. (and when there was a source it was in such limited quantities that no major manufacture would bother)

mc32 3y ago

Ivory isn’t only for the rich customers of intricate ivory carving but also the run of the mill guy and gal going to the Chinese medicine apothecary. Not saying this exonerates the practice or anything --just that rich folk in Hong Kong/mainland CN aren’t the only ones propping the market.

29athrowaway 3y ago

Or explain people that ivory won't treat their ED. Or spread the rumor that ivory makes you flaccid.

hanniabu 3y ago
With misinformation these days people will just think the government is trying to keep them from becoming healthy
Tao3300 3y ago
I thought that was rhino horn.

bluGill 3y ago

Unless it is a piano keyboard, because musicians are aware of this and so the only pianos with ivory keyboards have ivory from nearly 100 years ago. There would be interest in new ivory by a few (generally because they have an antique piano with one broken key), but they will demand proof that the ivory was sustainably harvested (There was a park a few years back overcrowd with elephants that was looking into providing such certification, though last I've heard they haven't figured out how to do this)

hedora 3y ago
The technician that works on our piano reglued some of the ivory. He said that, in the worst case, he could give us a replacement, since he has a pile of antique ivory he got from the keys of ruined/rebuilt pianos. If we ever fully restore the keys, we’d opt for not-ivory.
- Tade0 3y ago
  Every pre-WW2 piano I've seen was crooked beyond repair and untunable. I bet there are far more donor instruments than functioning ones, considering that a lot can happen in 70 years.
  - bluGill 3y ago
    There are, but not all ivory looks alike so finding a match is hard. Which is why someone who wants to restore an antique piano to new would be interested in new ivory if a sustainable source is available.
  - adrian_b 3y ago
    This must depend a lot on the humidity and temperature where the piano has been stored and used. I have a more than one hundred years old Austrian piano (made shortly before the start of the First WW), and it still works fine.
notatoad 3y ago
>but they will demand proof that the ivory was sustainably harvested yes, i'm sure this is true for 100% of people buying fancy pianos, and "proof of sustainable harvest" isn't at all a loophole that gets used to sustain an illegal ivory trade.
- bluGill 3y ago
  The music industry is very good about this. Which is actually easy because there is no current source of sustainable harvest ivory. (and when there was a source it was in such limited quantities that no major manufacture would bother)