Formerly prized for carvings, piano keys, and other items, ivory has been widely banned over the past couple of decades due to the risk of extinction of its donor species. Ancient, fossilized ivory is sometimes seen. Bone is widely used as a substitute for ivory, as is so-called vegetable ivory or tagua nut.
Scrimshaw is the traditional art of painting on ivory or ivory substitutes.
Fine lines are incised on the surface of the material and then painted over with colored inks. Scrimshaw on whalebone or whale ivory was popular especially among North American whalers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Ivory tends to yellow with age and takes on a mellow brownish-yellow patina. Workable with ordinary steel cutting tools. Last updated 2 January 1999.