Christine and David Springett were avid collectors of bobbins and wrote a
book about them - 'Success to the Lace Pillow'. They said that "decorated
English bobbin, genuinely made in ivory during the last (19th) century are
rare, so unless a patter of grain can be clearly distinguished, it is much
wiser and probably more accurate to assume that they are made of bone." The
grain "is not easily seen when a cut is made across its length, when it
appears as a crisscross pattern, reminiscent of the "end grain" of wood.
Marine ivory (walrus tusk, narwhal horn, whale teeth, etc) does not have
this distinctive patterning, so its absence cannot always be taken as proof
that the item is made of bone."
Each country had its own internal laws for sale of ivory within its own
country. Sales within the UK must have an article 10" DEFRA certificate for
pre 1947 ivory, anything after that is illegal. Under CITES, international
sale of any ivory items made after 1947 is illegal without a "pre-convention
exemption" certificate. An ivory item worked before 1947 which is re-worked
after that date becomes a post 1947 item. They also say that some
recently-made bobbins are made of ivory in India and the sale of them
internationally would also be illegal.
A couple of years ago Christine and David decided to sell at least some of
their collection of bobbins through Sotherbys. If I remember correctly, they
weren't very successful in selling them.
Jean in Poole, Dorset, UK
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