HORNBILL IVORY

The rarest of the NATURAL IVORY SUBSTITUTES.

Of the many varieties of hornbill bird, only the helmeted hornbill (Rhinoplax Vigil) furnishes an ivory-like substance. This is a dense, carvable substance found in the solid casque growing above the upper mandible (the bird's forehead). Structurally, it is not ivory, horn, or bone, yet it has been called ivory for many centuries. It is softer than real ivory and is a soft, creamy yellow in color, becoming red at the top and sides. The bird is a native to only Malaya, Sumatra, and Borneo and lives in the highest trees. It is seldom seen from the ground despite its 5-foot length from beak to tail.

As long ago as the 14th century, it was used in Indonesia, China, and Japan for carving intricate small objects such as brooches, buckles, and beads. Finger rings were carved in Malaya, where it was believed that hornbill would detect poisonous foods by changing color when adjacent to poison. In the 19th century, hornbill ivory seems to have been entirely devoted to European-style jewelry.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the bird was becoming extinct, having been slaughtered mercilessly for the sake of the carvable casque. By the middle of this century, it had lost its international character in world trade, and this decline in interest has helped the bird to recover although it is still endangered.

Other names for hornbill ivory are "ho-ting" and "golden jade." Ho-ting was an attempt by the Chinese to phonetically reproduce a Malay word for the bird. However, the characters mean "crane" and "head or crest" and were taken literally. For centuries, people believed the cask came from a member of the crane family of birds.

The most seen hornbill items in today's market are carvings using the full scull, snuff bottles, ear ornaments, and netsuke. All hornbill items are rare.

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