ivory
Creamy white shade
Ivory is the hard, creamy-white material from elephant tusks, historically prized for carving and piano keys.
The color ivory is an off-white with warm undertones: ivory skin, an ivory wedding dress.
An ivory tower is a place of privileged detachment from practical concerns, where academics or artists remain insulated from everyday realities.
The international ivory trade is now largely banned to protect elephants. (Capitalized Ivory appears in the soap brand Ivory and in proper names like Ivory Coast.)
Extended external tooth
- dentinTooth's main substance
- boneHard skeletal tissue
- keratinStructural hair protein
- mammothExtinct elephant with curved tusks
walrus · narwhal · hippopotamus · warthog · boar · mastodon · fossilized · organic
Engraved whale ivory art
- netsukeJapanese sash ornament
- figurineSmall ornamental sculpture
- sculptureShaped three-dimensional art
- inlayEmbedded surface ornamentation
engraving · etching · artisan · craftsmanship · bas-relief · cameo · statuette · ornamentation
Unlawful wildlife capture
- endangeredAt risk of extinction
- AfricaSecond-largest continent
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- traffickingIllegal transport for profit
CITES · extinction · wildlife · safari · rangers · sanctuary · smuggling · ban
Prohibited trade goods
- smugglingIllegal covert transport
- blackmarketIllicit commerce system
- traffickingIllegal transport for profit
- banOfficial restriction on something
CITES · illegal · poaching · auction · antique · confiscation · enforcement · customs
Rich milk fat
- off-whitePale yellowish neutral
- eggshellBrittle ovum casing
- alabasterTranslucent carving stone
- pearlMollusk-formed gemstone
bone · parchment · porcelain · linen · vanilla · milk · chalk · snow
tusk
Extended external tooth
mammoth · walrus · narwhal · hippopotamus · warthog · boar · mastodon · fossilized · organic · calcium
scrimshaw
Engraved whale ivory art
- netsukeJapanese sash ornament
- figurineSmall ornamental sculpture
- sculptureShaped three-dimensional art
inlay · engraving · etching · artisan · craftsmanship · bas-relief · cameo · statuette · ornamentation · fretwork
poaching
Unlawful wildlife capture
- endangeredAt risk of extinction
- AfricaSecond-largest continent
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
trafficking · CITES · extinction · wildlife · safari · rangers · sanctuary · smuggling · ban
contraband
Prohibited trade goods
- smugglingIllegal covert transport
- blackmarketIllicit commerce system
- traffickingIllegal transport for profit
ban · CITES · illegal · poaching · auction · antique · confiscation · enforcement · customs · seizure
cream
Rich milk fat
pearl · bone · parchment · porcelain · linen · vanilla · milk · chalk · snow · frost
opulence
Showy, abundant prosperity
prestige · status · expensive · elegance · gilded · heirloom · collectible · antique · relic · artifact
keys
Lock-operating instruments
upright · sonata · concerto · tickling · octaves · scales · arpeggio · virtuoso
- AfricaEgypt, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania
- white thingssnow, chalk, milk, flour, paper
- decor colorsbeige, taupe, gray, white, cream
- elephantsAfrican elephant, Asian elephant, trunk, tusks, ears
- fabric colorsnavy, burgundy, taupe, khaki, olive
- nature colorsforest green, sky blue, ocean blue, sunset orange, sand
Resources with minimal environmental impact
- ivory towerSheltered intellectual enclave
- ivory carvingSculpture from animal tusks
- Ivory CoastWest African republic
- elephant ivoryPachyderm tusk material
- ivory keysTraditional piano surface material
- ivory tradeCommerce in elephant tusks