Ivory
ivo·ry | ˈīv-rē
noun
A hard, smooth, yellowish-white substance made from the tusks of elephants and walruses
Ivory is a hard smooth surface, with a slightly yellowish-white hue made from the naturally occurring tusks of some animals, mostly elephants, and walruses. It has been used for hundreds of years as a building material, decoration, and precious material for jewelry, but in recent years has gone out of fashion, and in many cases is now illegal to harvest because the animals from which it naturally occurs are endangered. In the United States, for example, a ban on the ivory trade was implemented in 2016. Naturally, occurring ivory is still available but is rarer, while some types of ivory are lab-created as well. Antique and heirloom pieces are highly sought after for these reasons.