An elaborate yellow metal brooch was sent to our East Coast lab for identification of its large center carving. Accented by two large pearls, this semi-translucent red and yellow portrait of Buddha measured about 70 x 47 x 12.5mm.

Only very limited gemological tests could be performed because of the mounting. However, we did get a vague spot refractive index reading, in the low 1.50s, from a small, fairly well-polished area on one side. The carving fluoresced a faint bluish white to short-wave ultroviolet radiation, which is similar to the response of some dentine ivories as well as of hornbill 'ivory,' a nondentine material that is among the rarest of gem materials.

Observation with a microscope at about 10x magnification revealed numerous thin, parallel fibers in the yellow part of the carving, with a few small dark-pigmented granules scattered throughout. These structural characteristics are typical of an organic material such as ivory. The thin layer around the main carving was uniformly red, with no internal features apparent. The transition from the red to yellow areas was gradual, with no obvious demarcation separating the different colors. These characteristics proved that the carving was a single piece and not assembled. We concluded from these properties, especially the distinctive red and yellow coloring and the structure seen with magnification, that this carving was fashioned from hornbill 'ivory.'

Karin Hurwit

Editors note: The helmeted hornbill has been declared endangered throughout the region where it lives. Commerce in recent hornbill 'ivory' is now illegal in most countries, including the United Startes. However,  hornbill-'ivory' pieces 100 years old or older may be legal to own and import, provided they have not been repaired recently.


Appears on pages 57-58

Photo GIA