Mammoth ivory or Giraffe bone?

[striper28]

Here's the deal. I am going to buy some more materials to replenish my handle supply and i'm torn between buying mammoth ivory or Giraffe bone. Price for ammmoth is about $10 more depending on color. Which do you perfer and why? Do you think that a high end custom can have giraffe bone on it?

Pros and cons-
The mammoth ivory and Giraffe bone look similar, but many of the colors and patterns are different.

The Giraffe bone is stabilized= no shrinking and can be fit and finished right away

I have almost always had a problem with mammoth ivory shrinking, and now let the cut pieces, stabilize them and let them sit for a few days before final application.

The "Feel" of mammoth ivory is different than Giraffe Bone

Thanks for any help,
Chuck

[RogerP]

Well, this is just my opinion (but then I guess you are asking for opinions) - I'm not a real big fan of giraffe bone and never will be. I've seen the odd piece that looks okay, but it's really not for me. In particular, I think the more "high end" the knife is, the less appropriate girraffe bone is as a handle choice.

I'm more than a little surprised to hear that the cost is so close to mammoth ivory, which is more universally regarded as a premium handle material. That makes the choice even easier, in my view. I definitely prefer the look and feel of mammoth ivory to giraffe bone. But hey, I'm just one guy.

Cheers,

Roger

[SharpByCoop]

Exactyl what Roger said. I couldn't have expressed it better.

That being said, mammoth ivory is SOOOOO dominant, that it is becoming too familiar. I don't have an alternative. Tortoise shell is very rare. Maybe anything I've seen is synthetic, but it sure is different.

Coop

[Les Robertson]

Hi Chuck,

You are either getting the deal of the century on Mammoth Ivory. Or you are getting "boned" on the Giraffe Bone.

This isn't even a contest. Ivory. Even if there was $75 difference.

BTW, Tortise is illegal to import. The only pieces you can use are ones that came from something that was made from Ttortise before the ban. Antique Womens mirror and brush sets are an excellent place to find real Tortise.

Baltic Amber is another excellent choice for handle material.